Amazon layoffs to impact over 1,400 employees in California, hundreds in Bay Area

(KRON) — Amazon layoffs confirmed by the company earlier this week are set to impact over 1,400 employees across the state and several hundred in the Bay Area. On Wednesday, the e-commerce and tech giant confirmed it would be cutting 14,000 jobs, amid rumors that number could eventually rise to as many as 30,000.

State filings with the Employment Development Department now indicate that Amazon will be cutting 1,403 jobs in California. Of those, nearly half are in the Bay Area with Amazon set to cut 643 jobs at different locations across Santa Clara County.

Statewide, the job cuts are set to take effect on Jan. 26, 2026. All the layoffs are permanent, according to a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification (WARN) notice.

In a memo earlier this week, Amazon said the layoffs were part of an initiative to “operate like the world’s largest startup.” Amazon was founded over 30 years ago and is one of the preeminent legacy tech companies, employing roughly 350,000 people globally.

The latest Amazon layoffs come as the company is in the midst of implementing more AI into its workflows.

“As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done,” said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy in a memo back in June. “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”