Amazon, the leading U.S. technology and e-commerce giant, has confirmed substantial corporate layoffs in Washington through a WARN filing, with software developers and managers expected to be affected from late April 2026. The new layoff initiatives come as part of the company’s largest corporate workforce reduction. According to a new filing released on February 3, 2025, by the state Employment Security Department, Amazon is all set to cut 2,198 corporate jobs in Washington state starting April 2026. The recent workforce reduction is a part of a broader global workforce reduction of approximately 16,000 corporate roles.
The WARN letter stated that it was being issued in accordance with any potential obligations under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Washington Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act, and that Amazon would be separating employees at the specified facilities in the state of Washington, with the separations expected to begin effective April 28, 2026.
The filing indicates that Amazon’s Seattle and Bellevue offices will see the majority of job cuts, with the Seattle region, the company’s central corporate base, bearing the heaviest losses. The layoffs will negatively impact Seattle’s economy, which relies heavily on high-paid tech workers who contribute significantly to the city’s tax base.
Beth Galetti, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology at Amazon, stated on the company’s official website that Amazon had been working to strengthen its organization by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy. She explained that while many teams had finalized their organizational changes in October, others had only completed the process recently. Galetti said that the reductions announced would affect approximately 16,000 roles across Amazon and emphasized that the company was making efforts to support impacted employees.
She added that most U.S.-based employees would be given 90 days to seek new roles internally, with timelines varying internationally due to local requirements, and noted that those who did not find or pursue another role would receive transition support, including severance pay, outplacement services, health insurance benefits where applicable, and other assistance.
Amazon Layoffs Reshape Seattle Workforce as Company Pledges Efficiency and Innovation
According to the company, restructuring efforts will reduce organizational layers, enhance accountability across teams, and curb bureaucratic inefficiencies. The company has announced plans to eliminate 1,407 positions in Seattle, 626 in Bellevue, and 30 in Redmond, with layoffs scheduled to run through June.
Jake Novak, host of The REAL “American Sunrise Early Edition”, said that the white-collar layoffs at Amazon were the latest sign that the company was moving away from the “hire up for political reasons” strategy it had followed for much of the past 12 years. He added that lobbying in Washington, D.C., to avoid antitrust issues had been a major part of that approach, along with the decision to locate HQ2 in the D.C. area. Beth Galetti concluded the letter by saying that the company did not plan to enter a new rhythm of announcing broad reductions every few months.
She explained that, as always, each team would continue to assess ownership, speed, and its capacity to innovate for customers and make adjustments when necessary, stressing that this was more important than ever in a rapidly changing world. She also expressed gratitude to the teams for continuing to deliver for customers, for one another, and for the work they were building together.
