Amazon Layoffs Hit 2,198 Workers in Washington State — Software Engineers Hardest Hit

Amazon's January 2026 layoffs will eliminate 2,198 corporate jobs in Washington State, with software engineers bearing the brunt of the cuts, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing submitted to the Washington Employment Security Department.

The Washington cuts are part of Amazon's broader 16,000-person global layoff announced January 28, 2026. Combined with the 14,000 jobs the company cut in October 2025, this represents the largest corporate workforce reduction in Amazon's history — and the Washington numbers underscore just how heavily the company's headquarters region is being hit.

How Many Jobs Are Affected in Washington?

According to the WARN filing, Amazon will eliminate 2,198 positions across Washington State. The majority are concentrated in the Seattle-Bellevue metro area: 1,407 positions in Seattle, 626 in Bellevue, 30 in Redmond, 116 remote workers residing in Washington, and 19 across various fulfillment centers.

The layoffs will begin on April 28, 2026 and continue through late June.

Additionally, Amazon is laying off approximately 400 workers in Washington State as part of its decision to close all Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores nationwide. These retail cuts are separate from the corporate layoffs.

Between this round and the October 2025 cuts (2,303 Washington employees), Amazon has eliminated more than 4,500 corporate jobs in Washington State in less than a year.

Which Roles Are Being Eliminated?

A detailed breakdown from the WARN filing reveals that software development engineers account for the largest share of the layoffs — approximately one-third of all affected positions.

Other heavily impacted roles include:

• Engineering management
• Program management
• Technical product management
• Data engineering
• Business intelligence
• Quality assurance

In total, more than half of the Washington cuts impact Amazon's core product and engineering organizations. The remaining positions span sales, marketing, infrastructure, HR, design, and other corporate support functions.

Notably, senior- and principal-level employees are included among those affected, indicating the reductions extend beyond entry- and mid-level roles.

How Does This Compare to the October 2025 Cuts?

The October 2025 layoffs in Washington State (2,303 employees) had a broader scope. While software engineers were the largest group affected in both rounds, the October cuts also hit legal, tax, advertising sales, and Amazon's gaming division, along with corporate support functions. The January 2026 round is "more squarely focused on the core technology organization," according to GeekWire analysis — targeting product and engineering teams rather than the broader commercial functions affected last fall.

Why Is Amazon Cutting Jobs Now?

In a memo to employees, Amazon senior vice president Beth Galetti said the company is "reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy."

CEO Andy Jassy has maintained that the layoffs are not primarily AI-driven or financially driven. During the October 2025 earnings call, he said: "The announcement that we made a few days ago was not really financially driven, and it's not even really AI-driven, not right now at least. It's culture."

Jassy has emphasized his goal of making Amazon operate like "the world's largest startup" — leaner, faster, and less bureaucratic. The company grew rapidly during the pandemic (workforce roughly doubled between 2019 and 2024) and is now correcting for that expansion.

However, the stated intention that Amazon plans to use generative AI to replace corporate workers over time has raised questions about whether AI is playing a larger role than leadership acknowledges.

What's the Impact on Seattle's Economy?

The concentration of layoffs in Seattle and Bellevue has sparked concerns about the regional economy. Axios Seattle noted:

"Seattle's economy depends heavily on highly paid tech workers, whose salaries help sustain downtown offices, housing, restaurants and a share of the city's tax base."

Amazon isn't the only tech company cutting jobs in Washington. T-Mobile recently filed WARN notices for 393 layoffs, Meta cut 331 employees (including 89 in Bellevue and 97 remote workers), Expedia announced 162 cuts, and Zillow eliminated approximately 200 positions through performance-based reviews. Combined with Amazon's 2,198 corporate cuts and 400 retail layoffs from store closures, the region is experiencing a significant tech employment contraction.

In total, tech companies have laid off almost 9,800 Washington-based workers since January 2025, according to the Spokesman-Review.

The layoffs may also worsen Seattle's commercial real estate challenges. Downtown office vacancy rates remain at record highs, and reduced tech employment could further pressure property values and tax revenues.

Mark Harmsworth, director of the Small Business Center at the Washington Policy Center, told The Center Square: "The tech side layoffs are caused by AI and normal downsizing; however, the tech companies are certainly looking at other states to relocate employees to. I suspect we will continue to see small layoff batches this year and at some point something more significant if Olympia continues to pursue the head, wealth and income tax direction."

The regional unemployment rate in the Seattle metro area has already risen to 5.1% — well above the national average — driven largely by tech sector layoffs.

How Does Amazon's Situation Compare to Other Tech Giants?

Amazon's layoffs are part of a broader pattern across major technology companies:

Meta Platforms recently laid off 331 employees in Washington, including 89 in Bellevue and 97 remote workers residing in the state. CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that 2026 would be when "AI starts to dramatically change the way that we work."

Microsoft has cut more than 15,000 workers in 2025 as CEO Satya Nadella told employees they must "reimagine our mission for a new era" of AI.

Google has made cuts across multiple units and eliminated 35% of managers overseeing small teams as part of bureaucracy reduction efforts.

The difference with Amazon is scale. With 1.57 million total employees globally (about 350,000 in corporate roles), Amazon's workforce dwarfs most competitors. The 30,000+ corporate layoffs since October 2025 represent roughly 10% of its corporate workforce — significant but not existential.

However, the concentration in the Seattle area — Amazon's headquarters — creates outsized local impact. Amazon has approximately 67,000 corporate employees in the Puget Sound region between Seattle, Bellevue, and Redmond offices.

What Support Are Affected Employees Receiving?

Amazon is providing affected employees with:

• 90 days of paid notice to search for internal positions (exceeds the 60-day federal WARN requirement)
• Priority consideration from recruiters for internal transfers
• Severance pay for those who don't find or accept internal roles
• Outplacement services to assist with job searches
• Limited health insurance benefits for a transition period

The WARN filing states: "Affected employees who accept internal transfer opportunities at Amazon prior to their separation date will not be separated as a result of this action."

Is Amazon Still Hiring?

Yes, despite the cuts. Amazon continues to hire in specific strategic areas:

AWS (Amazon Web Services) remains a growth priority. The cloud division reported 20.2% year-over-year revenue growth in Q3 2025 — its fastest growth since 2022.

AI and data center infrastructure are major investment areas. Amazon expects capital expenditures to reach $125 billion in 2025, with increases planned for 2026.

Fulfillment and transportation operations continue hiring. Amazon hired 250,000 workers for the 2025 holiday season, and warehouse roles aren't affected by the corporate cuts.

Galetti's memo emphasized: "While we're making these changes, we'll also continue hiring and investing in strategic areas and functions that are critical to our future."

What Should Affected Employees Know?

Timeline: Layoffs begin April 28, 2026, and continue through late June. The staggered timeline gives employees time to pursue internal transfers and prepare for transition.

Internal transfers: Employees have 90 days to search for other roles within Amazon. Internal candidates receive priority consideration from recruiters, and those who secure transfers before their separation date will not be laid off.

Severance: Those who don't secure internal positions will receive severance packages including pay, outplacement assistance, and health benefits. Historical severance at Amazon has typically included 60 days of salary plus one week per year of service, up to 26 weeks maximum, though specific terms may vary.

WARN requirements: Washington State's layoff notification laws provide additional protections beyond federal requirements. Amazon is providing 90 days of notice, exceeding both the 60-day federal WARN requirement and state requirements.

Regional resources: Washington's Employment Security Department offers rapid response services for workers affected by mass layoffs, including unemployment assistance, resume help, and connections to retraining programs.

People Also Asked

Q: Are Amazon fulfillment center jobs affected by these layoffs?A: The corporate layoffs are separate from fulfillment center operations. Only 19 fulfillment center employees in Washington are affected by this round of cuts (across facilities in Sumner, DuPont, Kent, Spokane, Arlington, and Pasco). The vast majority of Amazon's 1.57 million employees work in warehouses and logistics, which remain largely unaffected. The 400 retail layoffs from Amazon Go/Fresh store closures are also separate.

Q: Is AI replacing Amazon jobs?A: Amazon's leadership has given mixed signals. CEO Andy Jassy said in October 2025 that the layoffs were "not really AI-driven, not right now at least." However, he also told employees in June 2025 that AI would reduce corporate headcount over time as the company "gets efficiency gains from using AI extensively." One laid-off Amazon employee, who was his team's head of "AI enablement" and a top user of Amazon's AI coding tool, questioned whether AI is the real driver or simply a convenient narrative for Wall Street.

Q: How does this affect Amazon's financial position?A: Amazon remains highly profitable. The company reported $21.2 billion net income in Q3 2025 (up 38% year-over-year) and $180.2 billion in revenue. AWS alone generated $33 billion in quarterly revenue. Q3 results included $1.8 billion in severance costs that Amazon had budgeted in advance, indicating the layoffs were planned.

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