Amazon CEO Andy Jassy says AI will probably mean fewer jobs after 27,000 people have already been cut from its workforce
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“I think that AI and generative AI specifically is the most transformative technology of our lifetime, which is saying a lot, given that we have had the internet,” he told CNBC.
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July 1, 2025
03:57 PM
Fortune
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AI·Fortune IntelligenceAmazon CEO Andy Jassy says AI will bably mean fewer jobs after 27,000 people have already been cut from its workforceBY Jim EdwardsBY Fortune IntelligenceBY Jim EdwardsExecutive Editor, Global NewsJim EdwardsExecutive Editor, Global NewsJim Edwards is the executive editor for global news at Fortune
SEE FULL BIOBY Fortune IntelligenceFortune IntelligenceFortune uses generative AI to help with an initial draft of each Fortune Intelligence story
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SEE FULL BIOAndy Jassy, Amazon president and CEO
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, FileAmazon CEO Andy Jassy dered a message in his recent conversation with CNBC’s Jim Cramer: Artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape Amazon’s workforce, automating routine jobs while creating new opportunities in advanced nology fields
Jassy’s remarks, which echo a memo he sent to Amazon’s 1. 5 million employees last month, underscore both the disruptive and transformative potential of generative AI across the company’s operations
Jassy told Cramer that, as with every major nological shift, “there will be fewer people doing some of the jobs that the nology actually starts to automate. ” He emphasized that AI is already freeing Amazon employees from rote work, making jobs “more interesting,” and enabling staff to focus on innovation and higher-value tasks
For example, AI agents now handle coding, analytics, and re at Amazon, he said
However, Jassy was candid the impact on headcount
He acknowledged that the adoption of generative AI will mean “fewer people” are needed for certain roles
In a recent internal memo, Jassy wrote, “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs
It’s hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company. ” Amazon has already been through significant layoffs, cutting more than 27,000 jobs over the past few years
Jassy positioned the transformation as an opportunity for those willing to adapt, urging employees to “be curious AI, educate yourself, attend workshops and take trainings,” and to experiment with AI tools to “get more done with scrappier teams. ” Jassy also pointed out that AI will create new jobs in areas such as robotics, AI development, and other fields requiring human creativity and complex decision-making. “I think that AI and generative AI specifically is the most transformative nology of our lifetime, which is saying a lot, given that we have had the internet,” he told CNBC
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft
An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing
Given the nature of AI tools, mistakes may occur
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