Amazon recently announced 14,000 layoffs, but company executives are not blaming the downsizing on financial performance or the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI). Instead, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy attributed the layoffs to a “mismatch in company culture.”
The CEO’s statement has concerned HR professionals. If HR has erred in hiring as many as 14,000 people, as some claim, then HR and the hiring process both need major revamping. The statement also places the blame on HR, leaving it to shoulder the criticism for its hiring process. For its part, HR described the layoffs as part of an overall organizational strategy to reduce layers of bureaucracy and embrace generative AI. Furthermore, the statement may unfairly malign the laid-off employees, who may be seen as misfits by other employers if Amazon alleges they didn’t fit the company culture.
Nonetheless, Amazon continues hiring in some areas, especially seasonal roles which top 250,000 in the U.S and hundreds of thousands more globally.
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