Amazon employees were rattled after an internal AWS email appeared to confirm fresh layoffs, signaling another round of corporate job cuts as the tech giant accelerates restructuring and cost-cutting efforts.
WEBDESK – Act Global Media – January 28, 2026
Amazon has inadvertently signaled another round of corporate layoffs after an internal email to cloud employees appeared to acknowledge job cuts before any public announcement, underscoring mounting pressure inside the tech giant to slim down its workforce.
The message, sent Tuesday to staff in Amazon Web Services, referenced “organizational changes” and said the company had already notified “impacted colleagues,” according to an email reviewed by CNBC. The note, authored by Colleen Aubrey, a senior vice president overseeing applied AI solutions at AWS, described the decisions as difficult but necessary to position the business for future success.
The email’s subject line mentioned “Project Dawn” and appeared to be quickly recalled, suggesting it may have been sent in error. Amazon has not clarified what Project Dawn entails, and company representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The slip comes as Amazon is widely expected to announce broader layoffs across its corporate workforce as soon as this week. People familiar with the matter say the cuts are likely to affect both the cloud computing division and the company’s retail operations.
Amazon has been steadily reducing headcount since late 2024. In October, the company disclosed plans to eliminate about 14,000 corporate roles, warning at the time that additional cuts would extend into 2026 as leadership looked for “additional places we can remove layers.”
CEO Andy Jassy has framed the layoffs as part of a broader effort to reduce bureaucracy and management layers, while also acknowledging that productivity gains driven by artificial intelligence could further shrink Amazon’s white-collar workforce in coming years.
The apparent AWS memo surfaced the same day Amazon announced a restructuring of its grocery business, including plans to shut down Amazon Fresh supermarkets and Go convenience stores in favor of investing more heavily in Whole Foods and online grocery delivery. Grocery chief Jason Buechel told employees the company needed to make more “deliberate choices” to stay competitive.
With Amazon set to report fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 5, the accidental email has intensified scrutiny over the company’s cost-cutting strategy — and heightened anxiety among employees bracing for what could be the next wave of layoffs.
