Amazon has reportedly laid off at least 100 employees in India in the latest wave of global job cuts affecting fewer than 1,000 workers worldwide, marking a continuation of significant workforce restructuring in its Stores business.
- 100+ employees laid off in India across retail and customer support
- Global job cuts impact customer service, engineering, and sales roles
- $13 billion AI and cloud investment commitment in India by 2030
What happened
Amazon has initiated layoffs affecting at least 100 employees in India as part of a global reduction of fewer than 1,000 roles. The affected Indian employees are mainly from retail and customer service functions related to Amazon’s Stores business, which oversees its core ecommerce operations. Other affected locations include the US and the UK, with job cuts spanning customer service, selling partner support, and engineering positions.
This round of layoffs is the latest in a series of workforce reductions. Earlier in 2026, Amazon laid off between 500 and 700 employees in India primarily from technology and HR teams. Additionally, in November 2025, over 1,000 employees were cut, impacting divisions such as Prime Video, AWS, and retail stores. These steps are part of Amazon’s ongoing organizational restructuring to reduce management layers and bureaucracy.
Why it matters
Amazon’s continued layoffs highlight the challenges faced by even the largest ecommerce players in maintaining efficient operations amid changing market dynamics and cost pressures. The focus on eliminating roles within customer-facing and engineering teams in India reflects restructuring aimed at streamlining the Stores business to better respond to innovation and customer needs.
Despite workforce reductions, Amazon is simultaneously making record investments in infrastructure, announcing plans to spend $220 billion globally in 2026 with significant allocations to data centres, AI, and cloud technology. In India, the company has committed $13 billion by 2030 to enhance AI and cloud infrastructure, signaling a strategic pivot toward technology-driven growth despite short-term job cuts.
What to watch next
Moving forward, market watchers will closely observe how Amazon balances workforce optimization with its substantial investments in emerging technologies such as AI and cloud services. The company's announced $3 billion investment in its quick commerce business, Amazon Now, also warrants attention as it seeks to expand its dark store network and leverage AI tools to improve inventory management and product variety in India.
Additionally, tracking the broader impact of these layoffs on employee morale, operational agility, and competitive positioning within India’s growing ecommerce sector will be important. The company’s ability to support transitioning employees and maintain service quality while undergoing significant internal changes remains a critical factor in its continued success.