Amazon lays off 250 more employees in devices unit after cutting 1,000 retail job

Amazon is cutting another 250 jobs in its devices and services division, extending a wave of layoffs that eliminated roughly 1,000 positions in its retail business earlier this month. The latest cuts come just weeks after the tech giant introduced new Kindle e-readers and tablets, and on the same day it unveiled another round of Alexa-powered devices.

The job cuts, announced Wednesday, October 28, primarily affect software development roles, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The source said no more than 250 positions were affected, marking another round of reductions at a company that continues to introduce new products even as it trims its workforce.

Amazon confirmed the layoffs following an inquiry from Reuters.

“We’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles,” an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters.

The company said the reductions would help it “operate more efficiently and better align with our product roadmap.”

The timing is striking. Amazon has spent recent weeks introducing new consumer hardware, including Kindle e-readers and tablet computers. On Wednesday, it added more products to its lineup, including the Echo Time smart alarm clock and Alexa Photo Frame, both built around its Alexa ecosystem.

For employees in the affected division, the announcements came with a different message.

According to Reuters, workers received text messages and emails early Wednesday informing them of the layoffs. One internal email reviewed by the news agency came from Cherie Robinson, Amazon’s vice president of human resources for devices and services.

The message said Amazon had conducted “a thorough review of our structure,” which led to the decision to eliminate positions.

The company did not disclose which specific product teams were affected or explain whether the restructuring would change its future hardware development plans.

Amazon’s latest layoffs raise questions about its hardware strategy

The latest cuts follow another round of layoffs earlier this month, when Amazon eliminated roughly 1,000 positions in its core retail business. Those reductions affected parts of the company’s Stores organization, including teams responsible for customer service and services for third-party sellers.

Reuters previously reported that employees in the United States, India, and the United Kingdom were among those affected by the retail restructuring.

The two rounds of job cuts bring Amazon’s reported October reductions to roughly 1,250 positions, though the exact combined figure has not been independently confirmed.

The latest move comes amid a longer restructuring effort at Amazon. The company began a much larger round of workforce reductions in 2025, with approximately 30,000 positions affected through early 2026.

Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos previously attributed part of the company’s workforce reductions to hiring decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online shopping surged, and Amazon significantly increased its headcount.

The latest device layoffs, though, arrive at a particularly interesting moment for Amazon’s consumer hardware business.

Amazon is continuing to invest in Alexa-enabled products, smart home devices, and connected hardware. Its newest launches suggest the company has no plans to retreat from the consumer devices market.

The question is whether Amazon can sustain that product development pace with fewer engineers and software employees.

The layoffs do not necessarily signal weaker demand for Amazon’s hardware. The company has not linked the reductions to disappointing sales or canceled product plans. Its stated explanation centers on efficiency and aligning staffing with its product priorities.

Still, the contrast is hard to miss: Amazon is introducing more devices while reducing the teams responsible for building and supporting them.

The announcement arrives just one day before Amazon is scheduled to report its third-quarter financial results on Thursday, October 29, after the U.S. stock market closes.

Investors will be watching the company’s earnings and spending plans for clues about its broader cost strategy.

For Amazon employees, the latest cuts remind them that a steady stream of new product launches does not necessarily translate into job security.

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