Amazon Layoffs: Fresh Job Cuts Hit India Amid 'Great Indian Festival' Sale

Amazon employees are facing another round of job cuts. This time, the layoffs have landed across several teams, including parts of the company's core retail business.

The cuts affect employees in India, the US, and the UK. Fewer than 1,000 white-collar employees are believed to have been affected globally, according to a report by Business Insider.

Amazon has confirmed the latest workforce reduction, but has described it as involving a "small number" of roles. The company said the changes were mainly within its Stores business, which runs its main e-commerce operations. 

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Notably, the latest layoffs came during Amazon's Great Indian Festival shopping event. Employees began sharing news of the cuts through internal communication channels, including Slack.

Why Is Amazon Cutting Jobs Again?

The latest round does not appear to be limited to one type of job. According to reports, the teams linked to customer service, selling partner services and marketplace support have been affected. Engineering roles within Amazon's retail operations have also been hit.

The latest cuts come after a much bigger restructuring at Amazon. The company eliminated around 30,000 corporate jobs between late 2025 and January 2026 as it sought to reduce costs and simplify its organisation. The latest layoffs are smaller, but they show that the restructuring has not completely ended.

Amazon is also making a major push into artificial intelligence. At the same time, the company is preparing to spend heavily on data centres, chips and other infrastructure needed for AI. Amazon is planning to spend about $220 billion in these areas. 

Amazon's India Story Gets More Complicated

The latest layoffs come even as Amazon continues to invest heavily in India. In March, Amazon opened a new Bengaluru campus that it described as its second-largest office in Asia. The 1.1-million-square-foot facility is expected to support more than 7,000 employees across e-commerce, payments, technology and seller services.

So, the latest cuts do not mean Amazon is pulling back from India. Instead, they point to a reshuffling of where the company wants people and resources to be deployed.

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026: Bank Offers

The Amazon Great Indian Festival 2026 sale, which started at 12 am on October 8 for all customers, brings a discount of up to 65 per cent on various home appliances including TV, refrigerators, washing machines and more. In addition to discounts on individual categories, Amazon is offering a 10 per cent instant discount on purchases made using SBI debit and credit cards, including credit card EMI transactions.

1. Customers using the Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card can also get unlimited 5 per cent cashback on their purchases.
2. Amazon Prime members can avail an additional Rs 250 cashback on select devices.
3. The company is also offering 10 per cent cashback on transactions made through Amazon Pay Later EMI.