It’s been a few weeks since Amazon announced plans to cut 14,000 corporate jobs, but many laid-off employees are still coming to terms with it.
While the original announcement cited a need to be leaner in the age of AI, CEO Andy Jassy later said, “It’s about culture.”
Business Insider spoke with six former Amazon employees who lost their jobs in the latest round of layoffs. One was an anonymous single parent who said they’d just moved to Seattle in June due to the company’s return-to-office mandate — only to be laid off. Another, an anonymous former product manager, said he got wind of the layoff timing and set his alarm for 3 a.m. that day to check his email.
The unexpected nature of the layoffs — and the tough job market — are among the factors making it harder for some workers to move on.
Here is a selection of their responses, lightly edited for length and clarity.
How did you find out that you were laid off?
Iren Azra Zou: Software engineer, 27, based in New Jersey. Employed at Amazon for roughly one year.
I woke up to a 6 a.m. automated text from Amazon telling me to check my email for a message about my role. When I tried to log in to my work account, I received authorization denied errors. At that moment, I was pretty sure I had been laid off.
John Paul Martinez: Technical support engineer, 35, based in Orlando. Employed at Amazon for over three years.
I received an email at 5 a.m. EST from HR advising that I’d been laid off.
James Hwang: IT support engineer, 27, based in Michigan. Employed at Amazon for roughly four years.
I got an automated text message from Amazon telling me to check my personal email before clocking in, and then I saw an email from HR. I was home at the time.
Joanelle Cobos: Design manager, 37, based in Las Vegas. Employed at Amazon for roughly four years.
I was at home getting ready to head to the office, and I happened to notice two text messages from Amazon that looked like spam, asking me to click a link or check my email. Since I didn’t trust the texts, I went to my work laptop and signed in, only to be met with a message saying that my account had been disabled. At this point, I was already guessing that my position had been eliminated.
How surprised were you?
Zou: There were rumors the day before that something big was coming. I had a strange feeling in my gut that I might be one of them, even though I was performing well — I had met my goals earlier than expected. This wasn’t the first time budget cuts had affected me in my career, and I know how, in these situations, people can become numbers on a spreadsheet. So I was surprised — but also not surprised.
Martinez: Extremely surprised, since we were not given any indication of this massive layoff, and we are heading into the holidays.
Hwang: Very surprised. I was a high performer who did a lot for our organization, and IT employees had been safe in the last couple of rounds of layoffs. There’s a lot of work to do, and we were already low on team members
Cobos: Not terribly. I was hired in December 2021, and my tenure had been plagued by whispers of voluntary resignation programs and RIFs, basically once a year. This is also my third layoff since 2019 and my fourth in my career, so I plan my life around the very real possibility of being laid off.
Who was the first person you told?
Zou: My husband was next to me in bed and awake, so he was the first person I told. After that, I messaged a few close coworkers as we tried to figure out who else had been affected. When I learned that some literal rock stars on my team also got laid off, I was shocked.
Martinez: I reached out to my colleague, who worked with me in the same capacity at Amazon, to see if she had also received the email or if this was a joke or a complete misunderstanding.
Hwang: My wife and my parents.
Cobos: My mother, sisters, and I have a group chat. I sent them a message once I had confirmed everything and read through my announcement letter. They were surprised.
What did you do that evening?
Zou: I made it a point to stick to my daily routines: coffee, exercise, my sleep schedule. I didn’t want everything to feel chaotic. I think I built some Legos, talked to friends and coworkers, and read a book. I just gave myself space to process.
Martinez: I broke down crying, not understanding what had occurred that morning. I started to think about all the expenses — mortgage, car payment, credit cards, and my father’s medical bills.
Hwang: I just processed what happened and looked over my résumé.
Cobos: I spent that evening at home enjoying myself. The idea of having so much free time ahead of me, even with the need to find new employment, is exciting.
What’s your career plan moving forward?
Zou: I’m already looking for new opportunities. I’m not rushing, though — I want to find a good fit. I’m leaning toward a smaller company where there’s less bureaucracy and more space to contribute and see the impact of my work.
Martinez: I have been actively searching for employment. However, due to the massive layoffs at Amazon and other corporations, I am extremely fearful of the competition.
Hwang: I have been looking for a new role in cloud support or it system engineering.
Cobos: I’m looking into starting my own small business that can potentially provide income while I’m unemployed and additional income once I find new full time employment. I’m not in a rush to jump into another corporate job, even though that’s where the best income is. Ideally, I’d like to take a lower-stress, lower-paying job with good health benefits and bridge the financial gap with income from my own business.
Have your feelings about the layoff changed at all in the last few weeks?
Zou: You can’t help but ask yourself, “Why me?” But eventually you come to terms with the reality that you can do everything right and still be included in a layoff simply because you’re a number on a budget sheet. I know I worked hard and brought a lot to the table. A layoff doesn’t erase that, and I’m not going to let it make me question my value.
Now, I see the layoff as a turning point. It helped me clarify what I want in my next role: more ownership, clearer growth, and a healthier environment. It’s still a difficult experience, but I’m feeling more grounded and optimistic as time goes on.
Martinez: My feelings have not changed. I think Amazon has done a poor job of communicating with everyone regarding our benefits, stock options, severance package, and job placement assistance.
Hwang: It’s been a shock. The current job market has been crazy hard. I already applied to 100 jobs and haven’t gotten any interviews yet, so I’m concerned, but I have to keep going.
Cobos: My feelings on the layoff haven’t changed. I’m not a fan of how it was handled, but I’m honestly excited for the time and opportunity to reexamine what I want to do and explore my options. This layoff has forced me to take time to reflect.
