US retail giant Amazon has reduced headcount in its robotics division, the group that develops robots and automated conveyance systems used mainly across the company’s warehouse operations.
The move forms part of a wider drive to cut costs that has led Amazon to remove more than 57,000 corporate roles since late 2022.
It follows a separate round of reductions in January 2026, when Amazon removed 16,000 corporate roles.
That move was tied to a wider plan that could result in nearly 30,000 white-collar positions being cut by mid-2026, as the company streamlines after rapid pandemic-era growth.
The company has not disclosed how many people were affected in the most recent action.
In a statement to Retail Insight Network, the company said: “We regularly review our organisations to make sure teams are best set up to innovate and deliver for our customers. Following a recent review, we've made the difficult decision to eliminate a relatively small number of robotics roles.
“We don't make these decisions lightly, and we're committed to supporting employees whose roles are affected with severance pay, health insurance benefits, and job placement support.”
Amazon’s fulfilment infrastructure depends on thousands of robots to transport items within warehouse sites.
However, the robotics organisation has recently stepped back from Blue Jay, a warehouse robot effort introduced only a few months ago, as it transitions towards a different robotics platform.
Amazon has also been shutting down initiatives that have not met expectations, including the Fresh and Go grocery chains, after several years of trials.
At the end of last year, Amazon reported a global workforce of around 1.58 million, largely in warehousing and logistics, alongside 350,000 employees in corporate and technology roles.
The business has been cutting staff following a pandemic-era expansion aimed at meeting heightened demand for online retail and cloud computing.
Alongside the reductions, Amazon is also raising investment levels, with capital expenditure projected to rise to as much as $200bn in 2026, largely linked to outlays on AI data centres.
