Amazon Cuts ~250 Devices Jobs Hours After New Kindle, Alexa Launches

Amazon eliminated up to 250 roles in its devices and services unit on Wednesday, most of them in software development, Reuters reported — the same week the company rolled out new Kindle e-readers, tablets, an Alexa-powered alarm clock and a photo frame.

"We've made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles," an Amazon spokesperson said, adding that the changes would help the company "operate more efficiently and better align with our product roadmap." In an internal message to employees, Cherie Robinson, a human resources vice president in the devices and services division, said a thorough review of the unit's structure led to the decision to reduce staff. Affected workers were notified by text message and email early Wednesday.

The cuts come weeks after Amazon eliminated roughly 1,000 jobs in its core retail division earlier in October, and days after an internal engineering memo urging developers to learn AI or risk falling behind — a document we covered on Monday. It's our third Amazon workforce story in a week, alongside a parallel Dropbox reduction on the same day.

Amazon did not disclose a precise headcount; the 250 figure is attributed to Reuters sources rather than the company itself.