Today's Edition
San Jose, California (dpa)
US online retail giant Amazon said on Tuesday it plans to cut around 14,000 corporate jobs in the latest wave of redundancies attributed at least in part to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Seattle-based tech major is seeking to reduce its workforce after a hiring spree during the pandemic.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the company could cut up to 30,000 jobs in several waves. It remains unclear where redundancies will be made across Amazon's multinational operations.
In a statement, Amazon said that new jobs would be created in other departments. The affected employees are to be granted 90 days to search for new positions in the company.
The retailer said cuts had to be made despite positive results because of changes in the workforce due to AI.
"This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we've seen since the Internet, and it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before," said Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon.
"We're convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business," she added.
Businesses worldwide are adjusting to the impact of AI, amid fears that many office workers could be made redundant due to the technology.
Consumers are unlikely to feel the consequences of Amazon's job cuts directly, with employees in the company's warehouses not affected.
Meanwhile, parcel delivery staff are not employed directly by the company.
