Amazon layoff plans exposed early after internal email error

What happened:
Amazon appears to have accidentally tipped off employees about impending layoffs after an internal email and meeting invite were sent hours before the planned announcement, creating confusion across teams at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

What went wrong:
An email sent on Tuesday, signed by Colleen Aubrey, Senior Vice-President of Applied AI Solutions at AWS, stated that affected employees in the US, Canada and Costa Rica had already been informed about job losses. In reality, impacted staff had not yet been officially notified.

The message also referenced the layoffs internally as “Project Dawn” and was followed by a team-wide meeting invite scheduled for Wednesday morning. According to Slack messages seen by Reuters, the meeting was cancelled almost immediately after the email circulated.

What the email said:
“Changes like this are hard on everyone,” Aubrey wrote, adding that the decisions were being made to “position our organisation and AWS for future success.”

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why it matters now:
The incident comes days after Reuters reported that Amazon planned to cut thousands of corporate jobs starting this week, though the company has not officially confirmed the scale or timing of the layoffs. The premature email has heightened anxiety among employees, particularly within AWS.

Who could be affected:
Sources told Reuters that roles across AWS, retail, Prime Video and human resources could be impacted, though the full scope of the cuts remains unclear. The layoffs announced earlier in October — around 14,000 jobs — were part of a broader plan to reduce Amazon’s corporate workforce by nearly 30,000.

Bigger picture:
Amazon employs around 1.58 million people globally. Even the full 30,000 planned cuts would represent a small fraction of total staff but close to 10% of its corporate workforce. The company has previously linked job reductions to increased use of artificial intelligence and operational restructuring.

What to watch next:
Amazon is expected to formally notify affected employees soon. Attention will be on how many roles are cut, which divisions are hit hardest, and how aggressively the company continues to use AI-driven efficiencies to reshape its workforce.