Amazon layoffs hit software engineers hardest in its home state; here’s what filing with Employment Security Department says

Software development engineers represent the biggest group hit by Amazon’s newest layoffs in the company’s Home state — Washington. According to a GeekWire report, citing a fresh filing with the Washington Employment Security Department, Amazon plans to cut 2,303 corporate jobs in the state — primarily in Seattle and Bellevue — as part of a global reduction affecting roughly 14,000 employees announced the same day.The state’s detailed breakdown shows over 600 software development engineering positions among those eliminated, accounting for more than a quarter of the Washington total. This pattern echoes Microsoft’s engineering cuts earlier this year, as tech companies recalibrate amid AI-powered coding advancements. Amazon launched its own AI tool, Kiro, in July and has explored integrating the Cursor AI code assistant for staff. The engineer reductions signal a profound evolution in an industry long dependent on human coders for core infrastructure.

In Washington, more than 500 manager roles are also being slashed, supporting Amazon’s goal of trimming bureaucracy for greater efficiency. Cuts extend to recruiting, HR, marketing, advertising, and legal functions.The hardest-hit location is Amazon’s SEA40 Doppler building on 7th Avenue in Seattle, with 361 jobs lost, per the filing. Over 100 Washington-based remote workers are additionally affected.“This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet,” Amazon HR chief Beth Galetti stated in a employee message, noting that it allows teams to “innovate much faster than ever before.” These moves contribute to wider AI-driven disruptions in tech and white-collar work, per a Wall Street Journal article this week on nationwide layoffs and an Axios piece headlined “How an AI job apocalypse unfolds.”

What Amazon filing with the Washington Employment Security Department says

“This letter is being issued in accordance with any possible obligation under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and the Washington Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act (collectively, “WARN”) to notify you that Amazon is separating employees at the below facilities within the state of Washington (collectively, the “Facilities”), with employee separations expected to commence effective January 26, 2026. As a result of this action, we anticipate that the above-described approximately 2,303 employees will be separated from employment with Amazon, with separations effective on the following dates: January 26, 2026; January 30, 2026; February 5, 2026; February 25, 2026; February 27, 2026; March 19, 2026; April 1, 2026; April 26, 2026; and May 26, 2026. While WARN requires only 60 days’ advance notice, Amazon is providing at least 90 days’ notice to all affected employees before their separations are scheduled to occur. Affected employees who accept internal transfer opportunities at Amazon prior to their separation date will not be separated as a result of this action.Employee separations resulting from this action are expected to be permanent. The affected employees are not represented by a union or any other collective bargaining representative. Amazon and its affiliates do not allow separated employees to displace any other employee based on seniority or any other factor (i.e., no “bumping rights” exist). Affected employees who are separated as a result of this action will be paid all wages and other benefits to which they are entitled (if any) through their date of separation, provided they do not resign from their employment with Amazon prior to that date. On or before the effective date of each employee’s separation, Amazon will provide information concerning benefits and (as applicable) severance available under separate cover to eligible affected employees. This action is not the result of, nor reasonably expected to result in, any overall relocation or contracting out of Amazon’s Washington operations/employee positions.A list of the job titles held by the above-referenced affected employees, and the number of affected employees holding each such job title, is attached hereto. At Amazon we take the responsibility of protecting the personal information of our employees very seriously, including taking steps to ensure that any recipients of such information maintain it confidentially. Given that this notice is generally obtainable by third parties, and that affected employees have a legitimate privacy interest in not having their names, contact information, and selection for layoff made available to the general public for review, republication, or other purposes, we have omitted employee names and home addresses from this notice. The privacy interest here is the same interest that underlies the confidentiality of unemployment compensation information in the Employment Security Department’s files. RCW 50.13.020. To assist with communication between affected employees and the Department, we are providing the Department’s contact information to all affected employees.We are providing you with this notice based upon the best information available to us at this time and do not plan to provide future notices with respect to this action. We wish to provide you with notices that are helpful, rather than inundate you with repeated or intermittent updates. However, please let us know if you would like us to provide you with future notices or additional information.