Amazon Cuts Jobs in Books, Goodreads, and Kindle Units to Boost Efficiency

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) has laid off fewer than 100 employees in its Books division, including staff from the Goodreads review platform and Kindle e-book units, the company confirmed on Thursday. The move is part of Amazon's ongoing effort to streamline operations and improve efficiency across its business segments.

A company spokesperson stated that the layoffs were necessary to better align with Amazon’s evolving business roadmap. “As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently, and to better align with our business roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles within the Books organization,” the spokesperson said.

These job cuts follow other recent reductions across Amazon’s Devices and Services unit, Wondery podcast division, and corporate staff in its Stores and Communications departments. The cuts align with CEO Andy Jassy’s broader initiative to reduce bureaucracy and trim middle management layers across the tech giant.

Despite the layoffs, Amazon added approximately 4,000 jobs in Q1 2025 compared to the previous quarter, according to a recent company filing. The Books division layoffs were first reported by Business Insider.

Amazon shares closed 0.3% higher on Thursday but remain down 5.6% year-to-date. The company continues to balance workforce reductions in some areas with strategic hiring in others as it adapts to shifting business priorities and competitive pressures.

As Amazon restructures, the focus remains on long-term efficiency, innovation in digital content, and maintaining leadership in the e-book and publishing markets through platforms like Kindle and Goodreads.