Amazon lays off employees in Devices and Services division amid ongoing restructuring

Amazon is laying off approximately 100 employees from its devices and services unit, the company confirmed on Wednesday, marking yet another move in its ongoing efforts to streamline operations and reduce costs.

The affected division spans some of Amazon’s most recognisable consumer technologies, including Alexa, Echo smart speakers, Ring video doorbells, and its Zoox autonomous vehicle project.

“As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently, and to better align with our product roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles,” said Amazon spokesperson Kristy Schmidt. “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we’re committed to supporting affected employees through their transitions.”

While Amazon declined to disclose which specific teams within the devices and services unit were impacted, it said hiring remains active across the broader division. The layoffs were first reported by Reuters.

This latest round of cuts comes as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy continues to push for operational efficiency across the company. Since early 2022, Amazon has slashed more than 27,000 jobs in a sweeping reorganisation effort. The devices and services group has seen recurring layoffs during this period, with job cuts occurring in both 2022 and 2023.

In a related restructuring initiative, Amazon last year implemented a strategy to simplify its corporate hierarchy by reducing management layers. The company aimed to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the end of Q1 2025 as part of a broader return-to-office directive.

Amazon’s actions mirror those of other major tech firms navigating a post-pandemic reset. Microsoft, for instance, announced earlier this week that it would lay off roughly 6,000 employees, part of a broader move to eliminate excess layers of management.