Amazon announces it will cut 14,000 jobs as part of a 'global reduction'

Amazon announced Tuesday it will lay off 14,000 employees, mainly in corporate positions, as part of a strategy to reduce costs and increase investment in artificial intelligence.

The cuts will focus on employees in support or strategy roles, including human resources, advertising and senior executives.

"The reductions we are announcing today are a continuation of efforts to further strengthen us by reducing more bureaucracy, removing layers and moving resources to ensure we are investing in our biggest bets," Beth Galetti, vice president of human resources and technology, explained in a statement.

"This will include reductions in certain areas and hiring in others, but will mean an overall reduction of about 14,000 jobs" in Amazon's corporate area, she added.

Amazon has not specified where the layoffs will occur

Affected employees began receiving notifications Tuesday. However, the digital commerce giant has not yet specified where the cuts will take place, although it said the reduction will be “global.”

Amazon employs about 350,000 corporate workers in the United States, so if the layoffs are concentrated there, they would represent roughly 4% of that workforce.

More machines, fewer people?

For now, the cuts will not affect distribution centers, which make up the majority of Amazon’s more than 1.5 million employees.

However, according to AFP, questions are also arising about the future of workers at the company — the second-largest employer in the United States — in warehouses, where Amazon is accelerating automation through robots and artificial intelligence.