WSJ: Amazon CEO Says AI Will Lead to Smaller Workforce

Andy Jassy sent an email to Amazon employees on June 17 indicating that company headcount will shrink in the coming years because of AI.

From the WSJ:

Amazon.com, one of the largest U.S. employers, plans to reduce its workforce in the coming years because increasing use of artificial intelligence will eliminate the need for certain jobs.

Chief Executive Andy Jassy, in a note to employees Tuesday, called generative artificial intelligence a once-in-a-lifetime technological change that is already altering how Amazon deals with consumers and other businesses and how it conducts its own operations.

Jassy describes the kind of worker that will succeed in this new environment:

Those who embrace this change, become conversant in AI, help us build and improve our AI capabilities internally and deliver for customers, will be well-positioned to have high impact and help us reinvent the company.

This is a strong signal for current Amazon employees: if you want to be part of the future of Amazon (and not laid off), you need to become an proficient in AI tools. But it’s no guarantee — AI still may come for your position.