Amazon has laid off 100 employees from its Devices and Services division, the unit responsible for flagship innovations like Kindle e-readers, Echo smart speakers, Alexa, and Zoox autonomous vehicles. The move is part of a larger organizational effort to streamline operations and better align teams with Amazon’s evolving product roadmap. While the layoffs affect a small segment of the overall workforce, they represent the latest in a series of targeted job cuts across the company.
In recent months, Amazon has scaled down operations in teams connected to Alexa, Wondery (its podcast arm), physical retail stores, and internal communications, as part of a broader drive to boost efficiency and simplify processes. The company emphasized that those impacted will receive support during the transition and reiterated its commitment to future innovation through more agile team structures.
Despite these reductions, Amazon continues to invest in strategic areas. Between late 2023 and early 2024, the company hired around 4,000 new employees, signaling a dual-track approach of cutting costs while fueling growth. A notable area of investment is artificial intelligence—earlier this year, Alexa received a major AI upgrade designed to deliver more natural and helpful interactions.
CEO Andy Jassy is also reportedly driving internal restructuring to reduce bureaucracy and flatten the managerial hierarchy. On the day the layoffs were announced, Amazon’s stock closed slightly lower at $210.25, reflecting investor reactions to the company’s evolving workforce strategy.
