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Journalism of Courage
Last Tuesday, many Amazon employees learned they were being laid off — not through a meeting or call, but via a pair of unexpected text messages. The first instructed them to “check their email before coming to work,” while a second followed shortly after, advising anyone who hadn’t received “an email message about your role” to contact the company’s help desk.
According to Business Insider, the texts were sent soon after the official email notifications to prevent affected workers from showing up at the office, only to discover their badges had been deactivated.
Later that day, employees received a formal email from Beth Galetti, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology, confirming the layoffs and outlining what would happen next.
“I have some important, but difficult, news to share with you,” Galetti wrote. “After a thorough review of our organisation, our priorities, and what we need to focus on going forward, we’ve made the hard business decision to eliminate some roles across Amazon. Unfortunately, your role is being eliminated, and your employment will end after a non-working period,” the letter read.
In the message, Galetti assured employees that Amazon would continue to pay their salaries and provide benefits for a 90-day transition period. “As of now, you are no longer required to perform work on Amazon’s behalf, and will receive your full pay and benefits (as applicable) for the next 90 days,” she said, adding that during this time, employees would retain access to internal systems like email, Chime, and A to Z via personal devices.
The company also promised severance pay, career counseling, skills training, and job placement assistance. “We didn’t make these decisions lightly, and we’re committed to supporting you throughout this transition,” Galetti emphasised.
The layoffs are part of Amazon’s ongoing corporate restructuring, which has so far affected around 14,000 employees. CEO Andy Jassy has said the move is intended to streamline operations, reduce layers of management, and accelerate the company’s adoption of Artificial Intelligence and automation.
