‘He boarded his flight, excited to be back’: Amazon’s biggest layoffs with early-morning messages leave employees distressed

The cuts follow Amazon’s recent announcement that it would eliminate roughly 14,000 corporate positions as part of a sweeping restructuring.

Friday's gains, however, are helping pull Amazon out of that position and overtake Tesla and Apple. The EV company has climbed about 11% this year, including the session's moves so far, with Apple up roughly 8%. (File Photo)

Corporate layoffs are among the most distressing experiences professionals face. Beyond the sudden financial strain and uncertainty about the future, layoffs have a profound impact on an individual’s confidence and emotional well-being. Thousands of Amazon employees woke up on Tuesday to unexpected text messages notifying them that they had been laid off.

Several professionals turned to social media to share their ordeal, resonating with many others who got laid off. Sharing about her friend, an X user, Divya Porwal wrote, “My friend was working at Amazon. He boarded his flight back to Bengaluru after Diwali break, excited to be back. As soon as he landed, he turned on his phone, there it was. A layoff mail from Amazon.”

See the post here:

My friend was working at Amazon.
He boarded his flight back to Bengaluru after Diwali break, excited to be back.
As soon as he landed, he turned on his phone, there it was. A layoff mail from Amazon 🙂

— Divya Porwal (@divyaporwal_) October 29, 2025

“My friend from Amazon told me how she saw an entire team, including the manager get laid off right in front of her eyes within seconds. The way they had to leave the office was heartbreaking. These Amazon layoffs are massive, entire orgs just wiped out. The testing teams Q3 and Q4 were the first to go. Collected the company laptops at the moment, and that was it,” Prapti, another X user, shared.

My friend from Amazon told me how she saw an entire team, including the manager get laid off right in front of her eyes within seconds. The way they had to leave the office was heartbreaking. These Amazon layoffs are massive, entire orgs just wiped out. The testing teams Q3 and…

— Prapti (@praptichilling) October 29, 2025

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According to Business Insider, one message directed employees to “check their personal or work email,” while another instructed them to “contact a help desk about their employment status.”

The cuts follow Amazon’s recent announcement that it would eliminate roughly 14,000 corporate positions as part of a sweeping restructuring aimed at improving efficiency and expanding its focus on artificial intelligence initiatives.

Many of those affected in the United States served as retail managers. In an internal memo shared via Slack, Amazon’s HR chief Beth Galetti told employees that those impacted “will continue to receive full pay and benefits for 90 days,” and will also be provided with a severance package.