Business

Amazon To Lay Off Hundreds While Also Expanding

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Eric Lieberman Managing Editor
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Amazon is reportedly set to lay off hundreds of employees, marking a somewhat unusual move for a company that seems to perpetually grow.

The soon-to-be terminated workers come from the corporate offices at the Seattle headquarters. Still, while Amazon reportedly plans on firing many, the overall number is still not that big relative to its total (massive) size. And the tech conglomerate is still expanding in many different areas — like cloud computing technology, film and show production, and grocery services — so its hiring in the process to fulfill those initiatives.

“As part of our annual planning process, we are making headcount adjustments across the company – small reductions in a couple of places and aggressive hiring in many others,” Amazon said in a statement. “For affected employees, we work to find roles in the areas where we are hiring.”

The news of a worker reduction in one particular area comes after years of almost rapid hiring, but also an abrupt change in the other direction. Amazon very recently conducted hiring freezes, possibly showcasing a self-correction to its less recent employment habits.

Some of those fired have already been notified, according to the Seattle Times, which first reported the news, with many more expected to be informed over the next month or so.

Amazon last year opened up its search for its second headquarters by asking cities to make their best bids. So as Amazon looks to grow elsewhere, it appears to be consolidating resources at its home base. Many, though, will interpret the prospective layoffs as a huge slight to workers, since there’s a newfound hatred for U.S.-based tech companies like Amazon.

The company still has 3,900 jobs in Seattle and 12,000 worldwide for just corporate roles.

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