Amazon Layoffs 2026: Tech, Leadership Roles Hit As Company Cuts Layers At Washington HQ

Amazon has initiated another wave of corporate layoffs in 2026, affecting 2,198 employees in Washington state, as per a fresh WARN notice. The move is part of a wider global workforce reduction previously outlined by the company, which is expected to impact roughly 16,000 corporate positions worldwide.

The Seattle area — Amazon’s primary corporate hub — accounts for the bulk of the reductions, underscoring a significant restructuring within key product and engineering divisions.

Roles most impacted

Details from the filing indicate that software development roles make up the largest share of job losses. Cuts are also substantial across engineering management, programme management and technical product functions.

More than half of the affected workforce

comes from Amazon’s product and engineering verticals. The rest of the reductions extend to business intelligence, marketing, sales, infrastructure, quality assurance, human resources and design teams.

The layoffs also include a sizeable number of senior employees. Several Manager III, Senior Manager and principal-level roles have been eliminated, pointing to an effort to reduce management layers along with trimming overall headcount.

Geographic concentration

Over 1,400 of the affected roles are located in Seattle, while more than 600 are based in Bellevue, another major Amazon office centre. Smaller numbers of layoffs are spread across additional sites in Washington.

According to the notice, separations will begin on April 28, 2026, and continue through late June. Employees who find alternative internal roles before their designated separation dates will avoid being laid off.

Company rationale

In a message to staff, Amazon’s leadership said the changes are intended to streamline the organisation, cut down internal complexity and give teams greater ownership. The company added that recruitment will still proceed in selected priority areas tied to long-term strategy.

Part of a broader downsizing cycle

This latest round follows the elimination of 14,000 corporate roles in October 2025, in addition to sweeping job cuts in 2022 and 2023. Together, these actions mark the most extensive period of corporate workforce reduction in Amazon’s history.

The new cuts signal that even core technology and managerial functions are being reshaped as Amazon adjusts its cost structure and operating model amid a more cautious global tech environment.