Amazon's 'Project Dawn': Unexpected Layoffs Alert Spurs Uncertainty

Amazon mistakenly alerted AWS employees about layoffs ahead of time, causing confusion. Scheduled for Wednesday, these layoffs are part of a broader plan to cut 30,000 corporate jobs. The premature email referred to these job cuts, dubbed 'Project Dawn', affecting various departments including AWS and retail.

An unexpected communication from Amazon on Tuesday led to a hasty revelation about pending layoffs within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) department, ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Wednesday. The premature email, unearthed by Reuters, signaled impending job cuts impacting thousands of corporate employees.

The correspondence, attributed to Colleen Aubrey, the senior vice president of applied AI solutions at AWS, erroneously suggested that targeted employees across the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica had already been informed of their termination. Confusion ensued when a subsequent team meeting was suddenly canceled, further muddying the waters.

Dubbed 'Project Dawn', these layoffs signify a strategic realignment, ostensibly linked to Amazon's increased reliance on artificial intelligence and a drive toward streamlining corporate layers. The significant job reduction, affecting up to 30,000 corporate roles, underscores the shifting currents within the retail and technology giant.