Obgist | Nigeria News, Celebrity Scoop, International Gist and Tech News

Amazon has confirmed plans to cut 16,000 jobs globally, hours after an internal email about fresh layoffs was mistakenly sent to staff.

The draft message, seen by the BBC, referred to job losses affecting workers in the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica. It was sent late Tuesday but quickly withdrawn, suggesting it was shared in error.

By early Wednesday, Amazon officially announced the layoffs, saying the move is part of efforts to reduce bureaucracy and streamline operations across the company.

Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president for people experience and technology, said the company does not plan to carry out frequent mass layoffs, following earlier cuts of 14,000 corporate roles in October.

She explained that while some teams completed restructuring months ago, others only finalised changes recently, leading to the latest round of job losses.

Amazon employs about 1.5 million people worldwide, including roughly 350,000 corporate staff, but the company has not disclosed which teams or countries will be most affected.

The accidental email was linked to "Project Dawn," Amazon’s internal code name for the redundancy process. The message said the cuts were meant to help the company move faster and focus more on customers.

Current and former employees say the layoffs were widely expected, with internal estimates suggesting Amazon could reduce up to 30,000 roles in total by mid-year.

The job cuts come as CEO Andy Jassy continues to tighten costs and reshape Amazon’s work culture, including enforcing a five-day in-office work policy.

Earlier this week, Amazon also announced plans to close around 70 Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores, while expanding its Whole Foods Market business, as part of a wider strategy shift.