Amazon has cut another round of jobs, this time inside its robotics division, just weeks after eliminating 16,000 roles across the company earlier this year.

At least 100 white-collar positions were eliminated within Amazon Robotics, the unit responsible for developing and operating the automated systems that power the company’s global warehouse network, according to Reuters, which cited people familiar with the matter. Amazon did not confirm the exact number of layoffs.

The company acknowledged the cuts in a statement, saying it regularly reviews organisational structures to ensure teams are positioned to innovate and deliver for customers.

The move marks the latest workforce reduction in a broader restructuring effort led by chief executive Andy Jassy, who has been reshaping the company’s cost base and operational structure since late 2022.

Robotics division at the centre of Amazon’s warehouse automation

The Massachusetts-based Amazon Robotics division designs, builds and manages the automated systems used in the company’s fulfilment centres. These include the autonomous robots that transport goods across warehouses and assist human workers in sorting and picking operations.

Today, roughly one million robots operate across more than 1,200 Amazon fulfilment centres worldwide, forming a critical backbone of the company’s logistics infrastructure.

Robotic systems deployed in these facilities can lift loads of up to 750 pounds and travel at speeds of about five feet per second, helping move inventory across vast warehouse floors.

Despite the increasing reliance on automation, the robotics unit itself has not been immune to workforce reductions as Amazon tightens spending and shifts resources across its technology programmes.

Layoffs follow earlier workforce reductions

The latest cuts come barely a month after Amazon laid off 16,000 employees on January 28, part of a broader plan announced in October to reduce the workforce by around 30,000 roles, according to Reuters.

The January layoffs also generated controversy after an internal message about job losses was mistakenly sent to thousands of Amazon Web Services employees hours before the official announcement.

Amazon has described the restructuring as an effort to streamline decision-making and remove bureaucratic layers, though critics say the cuts reflect a deeper recalibration across big technology companies after years of aggressive hiring.

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