Amazon announced five Alexa devices and cut an undisclosed number of jobs in its Devices and Services unit on Wednesday, Oct. 28, citing efficiency and alignment with its product roadmap.
Amazon described the reduction as a small number of roles and said it aimed to improve efficiency and align staffing with its product plans. It did not give a total. Reuters reported that a person familiar with the matter estimated 250 jobs or fewer were affected, mostly in software development.
Reuters also reported that employees learned of the cuts through early-morning texts and emails. A message the news agency reviewed from Cherie Robinson, the unit’s vice president of human resources, referred to a review of its structure. Reuters did not identify the affected locations or teams.
The Alexa lineup included Echo Time, Alexa Photo Frame and a redesigned Echo Show 16. Amazon had also updated its Kindle lineup page on Oct. 16, and its Amazon Alexa Tablets began shipping Oct. 14 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Amazon’s third-quarter results release, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Oct. 29, described strong early demand for 34 new products. It listed Echo, Kindle, Amazon Alexa Tablets, Fire TV, Ring, Blink and Bee. The release did not address the Devices and Services job cuts.
The product announcements and the staffing reductions occurred in the same period, but Amazon did not name a launch as the reason for the cuts or explain how specific roadmap decisions affected jobs. The earnings release’s demand statement also did not explain how product plans related to staffing.
Employees whose roles were eliminated bear the direct cost of the reductions. Reuters’ report did not specify severance, transfers or other support for affected workers. Reuters also reported that the Devices and Services cuts followed about 1,000 job cuts in Amazon’s core retail division earlier in October.
