Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Amazon cuts 16k jobs

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

581–590 of 1001 posts

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#581

Post by jdmg94 »

Aurornis wrote: post #493
shartshooter wrote: post #144

This summer I went camping and at the campground next to me was a middle manager at Amazon. I’ve been out of the workforce for about a year, so I asked him how much of an impact AI was having in his role. He told me that he had worked to develop a tool that would replace effectively all of the middle management function that he was responsible for: gathering information from folks below him, distilling it down and re…

> He told me that he had worked to develop a tool that would replace effectively all of the middle management function that he was responsible for: gathering information from folks below him, distilling it down and reporting that to people above him. Any manager whose job was this simple was on borrowed time anyway. I think the person was feeding you a story around the campfire to impress you. Real management work do…

you would be amazed at the amount of middle managers who keep failing upwards in organizations like Amazon

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#582

Post by jasondigitized »

Aurornis wrote: post #493
shartshooter wrote: post #144

This summer I went camping and at the campground next to me was a middle manager at Amazon. I’ve been out of the workforce for about a year, so I asked him how much of an impact AI was having in his role. He told me that he had worked to develop a tool that would replace effectively all of the middle management function that he was responsible for: gathering information from folks below him, distilling it down and re…

> He told me that he had worked to develop a tool that would replace effectively all of the middle management function that he was responsible for: gathering information from folks below him, distilling it down and reporting that to people above him. Any manager whose job was this simple was on borrowed time anyway. I think the person was feeding you a story around the campfire to impress you. Real management work do…

Fake management is far more common than real management. Most of management is centered around hyper-realistic work like activities.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#583

Post by lovich »

caminante wrote: post #462
hypeatei wrote: post #452

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why do you choose to dismiss drivers like stockpiling inventory, increased USMCA compliance, broader economic offsets (AI/tech boom, energy production) Okay, so you're admitting that they're inflationary but choose to rattle off a list of random stuff that somehow, magically, offsets the increased costs from tariffs. Please go into detail on one of those, including what you're talking about (e.g. what is "increased…

> Okay, so you're admitting that they're inflationary but choose to rattle off a list of random stuff that somehow, magically, offsets the increased costs from tariffs. Haha! I haven't seen someone try to dismiss counterarguments as "magic." I should've said that more when I got answers wrong on my tests in high school. > So.. you were agreeing with my point then? If not "magic," then the objector "actually agrees" w…

You’re arguing that tariffs aren’t inflationary by bringing up other events affecting the economy, which I agree with ‘hypeatei needs explaining, but even assuming those do offset the tariffs you’re still incorrect.

Tariffs definitionally are inflationary.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#584

Post by etchalon »

HDThoreaun wrote: post #563
nielsbot wrote: post #172

I like to think about this story from years ago when Nintendo wasn't doing so well and there was talk of layoffs "Nintendo CEO’s refusal to layoff staff goes viral following industry-wide cuts" https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/nintendo-ceos-refusal-t... I realize these companies aren't identical, but interesting to compare approaches. I also expect Amazon hires and fires more easily instead of growing more slowly…

Nintendo stock is up 7.5x since 1998, compare that to amazon which is up like 200x. Nintendo shareholders would be pissed about its performance if they were american, cant say how Japanese feel about it given cultural differences.

Nintendo shareholders seem to have a fundamentally different value set.

I'd argue it's a better one.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#585

Post by hit8run »

I’ve seen Bezos’s yacht and can tell you he is creating new jobs! His yacht is accompanied by a supply vessel that carries staff, food, etc. At least 20 people work on the secondary boat!

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#586

Post by belter »

juujian wrote: post #148
y-curious wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess we just need the other shoe to drop: punish companies that are based in the US and outsource to India. It’ll happen in time if this trend continues

Amazon has contributed enough to the current administration that I doubt they will face any consequences. Maybe another round of shakedowns and more financial contributions, but they have figured out pretty quickly how to play the game and end up on the good side of the current administration.

https://youtu.be/B1zKWNB2rho?t=230

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#587

Post by aprdm »

shartshooter wrote: post #144

This summer I went camping and at the campground next to me was a middle manager at Amazon. I’ve been out of the workforce for about a year, so I asked him how much of an impact AI was having in his role. He told me that he had worked to develop a tool that would replace effectively all of the middle management function that he was responsible for: gathering information from folks below him, distilling it down and re…

If that's his value add as a manager then that's a problem in itself

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#588

Post by irishcoffee »

no_wizard wrote: post #307
klipt wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then the US companies will be outcompeted by more competitive companies located outside the US. Now the US lost the jobs and the workers' income tax and the corporate tax. America cannot eternally capture a disproportionate share of global wealth, even with such rent seeking moves. It's unsustainable. We had a golden age after WW2 when we were the only undamaged industrial economy but that age has ended.

It would be far smarter to have invested in the workforce continually. A microcosm of this is how we mismanaged college education and is a symptom of a larger problem: As far as US policy goes, got complacent and extractive over innovative and additive. The narrative shifted from 'abundance for all' to 'the pie is only so big' (that is, unless you're a favored incumbent, like defense contractors). It doesn't stop her…

> The narrative shifted from 'abundance for all' to 'the pie is only so big' (that is, unless you're a favored incumbent, like defense contractors).

It would surprise you to know that Booz Allen laid off 3k people last month then, huh?

Or Boeing laid off 3200 people in September 2025.

You should look these things up before you pop off like that. Three minutes of research is all it takes.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#589

Post by HDThoreaun »

etchalon wrote: post #584
HDThoreaun wrote: post #563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nintendo stock is up 7.5x since 1998, compare that to amazon which is up like 200x. Nintendo shareholders would be pissed about its performance if they were american, cant say how Japanese feel about it given cultural differences.

Nintendo shareholders seem to have a fundamentally different value set. I'd argue it's a better one.

not better for making money

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#590

Post by Imustaskforhelp »

paul7986 wrote: post #515
socalgal2 wrote: post #507

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm super sympathetic that losing your job sucks. I lost mine once. At the same time, what's the alternative? Progress happens. We no longer have liveries for holding horses nor horse shoe makers (not at the level we used to). We no longer have telephone operators. Making up jobs to keep people employed isn't a viable solution to me. Supporting them in some way (re-training, UBI, service work, ...) seems like the onl…

Just lost my UX Researcher, Designer, UI Developer and CX Support job (8 years) two weeks of ago. They said doing a great job but have to lay you off. Within a week i put my house up for sale and received an offer. Time to downsize, "try," to stay in tech yet study to be a nurse. My field and career of 20 years seems like a vanishing one.

Sorry to hear that.

But coming to this point, its absolutely unfathomable seeing the difference between these two types of things

On One hand we have cursor whose burning like 5-6 Million $ of money in trying to build a browser only for it to be riddled with bugs and literally just the money went into fire (read emsh's post and how he built better alternative)

I mean I guess I learnt something from them burning 5 million $ but I see a lot of Companies burn so much money.

My point is that all of these companies burn massive amounts of money in LLM's sometimes just for the sake of it and then some of these same companies go the other way and then fire people working.

I mean is there no way for a company to be reasonable. You worked there 8 years, You knew how things worked. Getting anyone new up and running would be hard especially given you had customer relations.

Tf they mean doing a great job but they have to lay you off? I mean, is the company doing really bad (I am considering something like tailwind happening here?) or what exactly.

But tailwind's situation was (unique?) because their business was eaten by AI itself. Not sure about your (former) company though but I hope that you can tell more specifics if possible.

Post reply on HN