Amazon’s CEO says the AI takeover is coming

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sent a memo to employees this week saying that the tech giant will likely shrink its head count in coming years as AI chatbots and agents take on more of the workload.

Jassy said that artificial intelligence will allow the company to be more innovative, increasing demand for specific jobs. But, in general, he expects that there will be less need for human workers. The statement was met with grumbling from folks who might find themselves on the corporate chopping block, according to internal employee messages seen by Business Insider:

Some complained that Amazon plans to use efficiency gains from AI to reduce head count and keep output the same, rather than grow the business.

Many Amazonians might’ve already been upset after the company recently told some employees to relocate to be closer to their teams—which is commonly used as a tactic to accelerate resignations.

Amazon insiders told the Wall Street Journal that though layoffs are possible, much of the AI-driven head count reduction is expected to happen through slower hiring.

Amazon isn’t alone

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RSK: Well, this is bad news for the office sector. Less humans less need for office space.