Amazon confirms rumored layoffs for devices division

SEATTLE — Rumored layoffs of Amazon workers have been confirmed in the company’s devices and services division.

An online post made Wednesday from Amazon senior vice president of devices and services Dave Limp, said some roles in the department would no longer be required and that the affected employees were notified on Tuesday.

“After a deep set of reviews, we recently decided to consolidate some teams and programs,” the post said.

However, Limp did not say how many employees would lose their jobs.

The Seattle-based company is reportedly planning to lay off around 10,000 workers.

The New York Times reported that the job cuts are focused on devices, the retail division and human resources.

Jacob Vigdor, an economist at the University of Washington, said it was important to note that Amazon’s cuts appear targeted, not across-the-board, and that Amazon grew from 53,000 to more than 75,000 Seattle-area workers in three years.

“It’s really just equivalent of them stepping back a year or so in terms of how many people they employ,” Vigdor said.

KIRO 7 requested information about the impact in Seattle and Bellevue and received the following response:

“As part of our annual operating planning review process, we always look at each of our businesses and what we believe we should change. As we’ve gone through this, given the current macro-economic environment (as well as several years of rapid hiring), some teams are making adjustments, which in some cases means certain roles are no longer necessary. We don’t take these decisions lightly, and we are working to support any employees who may be affected.”

Amazon’s layoffs follow others in the tech industry, including Facebook parent company Meta, which filed paperwork with the state about more than 700 layoffs coming in Seattle and Bellevue.

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