So Amazon dropped some pretty heavy news this week. They’re letting go of 14,000 corporate employees. That’s not a typo – fourteen thousand people.
The layoffs started rolling out Tuesday, and they’re hitting departments across the board: HR, AWS, the devices team. Pretty much everyone except the warehouse workers and delivery drivers. Now here’s the part that should make you sit up and pay attention. At the same time they’re cutting all these jobs, Amazon’s planning to drop over $100 billion on AI infrastructure next year.
Think about that for a second. They’re spending less on people and way more on computers.
This Isn't Like the Last Round of Tech Layoffs
Do you recall 2022 and 2023, when tech companies were laying off employees in large numbers? That was different. Those companies had gone crazy hiring during COVID when everyone thought the boom would last forever. When reality hit, they had to course-correct.
What’s happening now is something else entirely.
Andy Jassy, Amazon’s CEO, keeps talking about “operational simplification and automation.” That’s just a fancy way of saying AI can do what a lot of these people used to do.
We’re not talking about robots replacing factory workers here. These are office jobs. People with college degrees. Mid-level managers who coordinate projects. HR folks who screen resumes. Data analysts who crunch numbers.
You know, everyone claimed that automation wouldn’t affect those jobs.
How to Determine Whether Your Job Is in Danger
Look, no one wants to fear losing their job. However, it’s better to be aware now than to be caught off alert later. Here’s what to watch out for:
Your boss won’t shut up about AI efficiency
If every other meeting includes phrases like “leveraging AI” or “streamlining operations,” that’s not just corporate buzzword bingo. They’re actively looking at what can be automated.
Pay attention when consultants show up talking about “process optimization.” That’s usually code for “how can we do this with fewer people?”
Your job is basically the same thing every day
The more repetitive your work, the easier it is to automate. Artificial intelligence is already quite proficient in data entry, meeting scheduling, employment application screening, invoice processing, and social media posting.You’re in danger if you spend the majority of your day repeating the same procedure.
You’re stuck in the middle
The Amazon cuts hit middle management hard. If your main job is tracking what other people are doing and writing reports about it, that’s exactly the kind of work AI excels at.
Senior leadership isn’t going anywhere – companies still need humans making big strategic decisions. And specialized technical roles are safe for now. But middle management? That’s where the cuts are happening.
What You Can Actually Do About This
Okay, enough about the bad news. Let’s discuss doable actions you can take immediately.
Put AI to use instead of fighting it.
This is the most crucial thing, really. Who do you think is more valuable if you’re still doing everything by hand and your colleague uses ChatGPT to write emails and complete reports in half the time?
Learn about the AI tools that are pertinent to your work. If you’re in marketing, get good with ChatGPT and Jasper. Developers should be using GitHub Copilot. Analysts need to figure out how AI can handle the boring data processing so they can focus on insights.
The people getting promoted right now are the ones who figured out how to be five times more productive with AI tools.
Get better at the stuff AI can’t do
AI’s terrible at certain things. Long-term strategic thinking. Reading a room and navigating office politics. Coming up with genuinely new ideas. Building real relationships with clients or team members.
If your job involves a lot of that kind of work, you’re in much better shape. If not, perhaps begin determining how to proceed in that direction.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Even Amazon workers are realising that no job is safe these days. You need other ways to make money. Start a side hustle. Freelance consulting in your area. Build something and sell it online. Create a course. Whatever makes sense for your skills.
The goal isn’t to replace your full-time income overnight. Just start building something on the side so you’re not completely screwed if you get a layoff notice.
Network before you need to
Most people only start networking after they lose their job. That’s backwards and everyone can tell you’re desperate.
Connect with people on LinkedIn every week. Go to industry events. Have coffee chats with people even when you don’t need anything from them. When the layoffs come, those relationships matter a lot.
