Amazon’s most senior female executive has been tasked with overseeing one of the largest workforce reductions in the company’s history, as the technology giant moves to cut 16,000 jobs in a new round of layoffs tied to increased automation and the adoption of artificial intelligence.
The latest cuts follow layoffs of about 14,000 employees announced in late October, bringing the total number of positions eliminated to about 30,000.
The process is being led by Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, who oversees the company’s global human resources operations. Galetti is widely regarded as one of the most influential executives in the technology sector and has appeared on rankings of top women in tech by publications including Fortune and Technology magazine.
Amazon confirmed last week that the 16,000 additional layoffs would move forward, citing efforts to streamline management layers, reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency as automation expands across its operations.
Galetti said affected employees in the United States would receive 90 days’ notice before their roles formally end, during which time they will continue to receive full pay and benefits and may seek other positions within the company, in addition to severance packages.
“We are working to strengthen our organization by flattening layers, increasing ownership and reducing bureaucracy,” Galetti said in a statement.
In an internal email sent to employees and later published by Business Insider, Galetti wrote that the decision followed a comprehensive review of the company’s structure and priorities.
“I have important, but difficult, news to share,” the message said. “After careful review of our organization and what we need to focus on going forward, we made the hard business decision to eliminate a number of roles across Amazon.”
Galetti joined Amazon in 2013 after spending most of her career in software development and technology leadership roles. She previously held senior positions at FedEx, where she rose rapidly through the ranks and served as chief information officer for multiple global regions.
At Amazon, she was promoted to senior vice president in 2016 and built a data-driven and technology-focused human resources organization that includes product managers, data scientists and artificial intelligence specialists.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Galetti oversaw a massive hiring surge in which Amazon added roughly 400,000 employees in about 10 months to meet soaring demand.
The current layoffs mark the company’s most significant workforce contraction since that expansion, reflecting broader shifts in the technology industry as companies cut costs and invest more heavily in automation.
Amazon operates hundreds of logistics and fulfillment centers worldwide, many of which are increasingly reliant on automated systems, a trend executives say will continue even as overall headcount declines.
