In a significant corporate communications mishap, Amazon inadvertently revealed plans for another substantial round of global layoffs through an errant email sent to employees. The message, drafted by Colleen Aubrey, Senior Vice President at Amazon Web Services (AWS), was accidentally distributed via a calendar invitation titled “Send project Dawn email”—apparently the internal code name for the workforce reduction initiative.
The leaked correspondence, obtained by the BBC, indicated that the layoffs would affect employees across the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica as part of ongoing efforts to “strengthen the company.” Although quickly retracted, the email provided explicit confirmation that the anticipated job cuts were proceeding, despite affected staff not having received official notification.
This development represents a continuation of Amazon’s restructuring efforts that began over a year ago. According to the message, these measures aim to “reduce layers, increase ownership, and remove bureaucracy” to enhance operational agility. The company acknowledged the difficulty of such decisions while positioning the organization for future success.
The current reductions follow Amazon’s announcement of 14,000 job cuts in October 2022. Industry sources indicate that company leadership ultimately intends to eliminate approximately 30,000 positions, with this latest round constituting part of that broader strategy. The complete restructuring is expected to continue through May 2024.
Affected employees have been offered the opportunity to apply for limited open positions within Amazon, with those unable to transition receiving severance packages based on tenure. This situation reflects a broader trend across the technology sector, where major players including Meta, Google, and Microsoft have collectively eliminated hundreds of thousands of positions since 2022. Layoffs.fyi, which tracks industry job cuts, estimates approximately 700,000 tech workers have been dismissed over the past four years.
Under CEO Andy Jassy’s leadership since founder Jeff Bezos stepped down four years ago, Amazon has implemented multiple workforce reductions while instituting a more stringent corporate culture. The company has mandated five-day in-office work weeks—a rarity among major tech firms—and implemented cost-control measures including monitoring corporate mobile phone usage to limit longstanding $50 monthly reimbursements for AWS employees.
In a separate Thanksgiving message to staff viewed by the BBC, Jassy characterized the current period as “a time to rethink everything we’ve ever done” amid rapidly changing global conditions. The company simultaneously announced the closure of approximately 70 Amazon-branded grocery stores while expanding its Whole Foods Market business, signaling broader strategic shifts beyond workforce adjustments.