Amazon cuts 16k jobs • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#781

Post by macintux » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:52 AM UTC

unethical_ban wrote: post #607

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…

The fear, which many (like myself, and Andrew Yang) have since before GenAI hit it big, is that the coming automation revolution will be magnitudes more disruptive than prior economic revolutions. It's one thing for particular skilled industries to evolve or go away; it's another when massive, diverse, frontline-and-management roles across the economy will all be wiped out in the coming decade or two. Management, war…

The safety net in the U.S. today is completely inadequate, and under constant fire from the right. I have no idea how we’re going to cope with the coming waves of layoffs.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#782

Post by rvz » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:53 AM UTC

"AGI" at Amazon has been achieved internally and as predicted. [0]

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46741246

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#783

Post by 33MHz-i486 » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:54 AM UTC

romanovcode wrote: post #132

- September 2025: US imposes additional 100k USD per visa as a condition to eligibility. (previous was 5k - 20k USD) - October 2025: Amazon cuts 14k jobs - December 2025: Amazon announces additional 35b USD investment to India (total 75b USB by 2030); promises to create ~1m jobs there - December 2025: Random H1B lottery is dismantled, giving preference to higher company salary spending e.g. the more salary H1B applic…

except they planned the January layoff in October or even earlier over the summer.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#784

Post by booleandilemma » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:54 AM UTC

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…

Actually I've worked at companies where management is exactly like this. Literally just status updates and asking when things are going to be finished. I have no respect for middle managers whatsoever. These people are a parasite on the industry.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#785

Post by loeg » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:58 AM UTC

int_19h wrote: post #773

loeg wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2008 was a lot worse.

Once the dust settled, sure. We're still on our way to hit the bottom for this round, and by all accounts it's likely to be much bigger when we finally do.

If you say so.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#786

Post by iJohnDoe » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:58 AM UTC

chrysoprace wrote: post #574

mrtksn wrote: post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TBH the last 20-30 years was exactly like that but computers were eliminating other peoples jobs for really good profits for the investors and really good salaries for the workers doing the elimination. Before that people were eliminating blue colar workers with highly productive machines and industrial robots. I don't see how eliminating your co-workers is any different. Software ate the world and now AI will eat th…

There might be a time when software developers become obsolete, and I don't pretend to know the future, but if today's models are anything to go by then it won't happen any time soon. At the end of the day, there'll still be a need for highly skilled technical experts, whatever that job looks like.

> software developers become obsolete

> there’ll still be a need for highly skilled technical experts

Two different things.

Yes, many, many software developers will become obsolete in certain industries. It’s already happening. Putting on blinders doesn’t make it go away.

Yes, highly skilled technical experts will absolutely still be needed.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#787

Post by not_jassy » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:59 AM UTC

reliabilityguy wrote: post #559

romanovcode wrote: post #132

- September 2025: US imposes additional 100k USD per visa as a condition to eligibility. (previous was 5k - 20k USD) - October 2025: Amazon cuts 14k jobs - December 2025: Amazon announces additional 35b USD investment to India (total 75b USB by 2030); promises to create ~1m jobs there - December 2025: Random H1B lottery is dismantled, giving preference to higher company salary spending e.g. the more salary H1B applic…

Can you explain in more details how changing h1b rules leads to layoffs?

I'll take a stab:

Higher cost h1b employees incentives offshoring where average employee cost is reduced.

Less h1b employees incentives offshoring.

Offshoring.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#788

Post by rvz » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC

reliabilityguy wrote: post #559

romanovcode wrote: post #132

- September 2025: US imposes additional 100k USD per visa as a condition to eligibility. (previous was 5k - 20k USD) - October 2025: Amazon cuts 14k jobs - December 2025: Amazon announces additional 35b USD investment to India (total 75b USB by 2030); promises to create ~1m jobs there - December 2025: Random H1B lottery is dismantled, giving preference to higher company salary spending e.g. the more salary H1B applic…

Can you explain in more details how changing h1b rules leads to layoffs?

It's actually both.

   1. Ramp up offshore hiring and relocate jobs in low-cost-of-living (LCOL) countries (India) to avoid paying the 100K H1-B visa charge.

   2. Train their AI and robotics by researchers in  LCOL countries (to eventually replace the high-cost-of-living (HCOL) warehouse labor workforce)

   3. Deploy robots and AI agents to then layoff more people in HCOL environments and repeat (1) until their margins improve and they achieve AGI.

It's not that hard to see.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#789

Post by WalterBright » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:05 AM UTC

joquarky wrote: post #747

WalterBright wrote: post #735

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The math doesn't work out for UBI.

UBI will become at least as complicated as federal taxes. Perverse incentives will creep in.

Paying people to not work will never work.

Re: Amazon cuts 16k jobs

#790

Post by alephnerd » Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 3:08 AM UTC

selimthegrim wrote: post #770

alephnerd wrote: post #389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [p]unish companies that are based in the US and outsource to India. It’ll happen in time if this trend continues They ain't doing squat. The Trump admin is encouraging technology transfer to India as part of Pax Silica [0] and GOP politicans in Ag heavy Purple States like Iowa [1] and Montana [2] are trying to mollify India after China pivoted from American to Brazilian soybeans [3] and India began tariffing pulses…

Iowa hasn't been purple for a while. Montana maybe a bit more recently.

For the presidential election sure, but I wouldn't underestimate state level organization of the DNC in the rural west and Midwest.

The issue is fractured fundraising basically undermines the local organization by funding challenger candidates, which alienates local Dems and depresses turnout (TDP is notorious for this).

Iowa is going to be a competitive race hence why Joni Ernst decided to not run for reelection.