Amazon confirmed Tuesday that it has eliminated positions throughout its robotics division, impacting no fewer than 100 corporate employees, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The tech giant previously cut approximately 16,000 positions in January, with company leadership indicating at that time that additional workforce reductions would follow.
Tuesday’s eliminated positions were within the department that creates robots and automated systems used mainly in the company’s warehouse operations.
“We regularly review our organizations to make sure teams are best set up to innovate and deliver for our customers,” the company stated, declining to provide specific numbers regarding the job eliminations. The robotics division cuts were first reported by Business Insider.
Beginning with the elimination of roughly 14,000 corporate positions in October, Amazon has now reduced its white-collar workforce by 30,000 employees. The company has attributed these cuts to improved efficiency through artificial intelligence implementation and changes to corporate culture. These reductions affected close to 10% of corporate staff, while the majority of Amazon’s 1.5 million workforce consists of hourly employees, especially those working in warehouse facilities.
The most recent job cuts follow Amazon’s January decision to stop development of the Blue Jay robotic arm, which the company had showcased at an October demonstration. The Blue Jay system included multiple mechanical arms capable of handling several items simultaneously and was intended to assist workers in confined areas.
Beyond the major October and January workforce reductions, Amazon has also eliminated smaller numbers of positions across various departments over the past year, including devices and services, books, podcasts, and public relations divisions.
