Amazon has confirmed a new wave of corporate job cuts in 2026, affecting 2,198 employees across Washington state, according to a recently filed WARN notice. These layoffs are part of a broader global workforce reduction that targets approximately 16,000 corporate roles worldwide.
The Seattle region, which serves as Amazon’s primary corporate hub, is expected to experience the largest share of these cuts, reflecting a restructuring of key product and engineering teams.
The WARN filing indicates that software development positions represent the largest portion of job losses. Additionally, roles in engineering management, program management, and technical product management are being significantly impacted.
More than half of the employees affected belong to Amazon’s product and engineering organisations. The remaining reductions span several other departments, including business intelligence, marketing, sales, infrastructure, quality assurance, human resources, and design.
A notable segment of the layoffs includes senior and principal-level staff. Several “Manager III” and “Senior Manager” positions have been eliminated, pointing to a deliberate flattening of leadership layers alongside broader role reductions.
Over 1,400 layoffs are located in Seattle, while more than 600 employees will be affected in Bellevue, where Amazon has expanded office operations in recent years. Smaller numbers of affected employees are spread across other facilities within Washington state.
The WARN filing specifies that employee separations are scheduled to begin on April 28, 2026, and will continue through late June. Employees who secure internal transfers before their separation dates will not be laid off.
In an internal memo shared with employees, Amazon senior leadership stated that the restructuring is intended to reduce organisational layers, enhance ownership across teams, and remove internal bureaucracy.
The company also noted that while layoffs are ongoing, hiring will continue in selected strategic areas deemed essential for long-term growth.
The 2026 layoffs follow prior reductions of 14,000 corporate employees in October 2025, as well as significant workforce cuts during 2022 and 2023. Taken together, these measures represent the largest period of corporate downsizing in Amazon’s history.
This latest round highlights that even core technology and management functions are being reshaped as Amazon recalibrates costs and its operational structure in a slower global tech hiring environment.
