Amazon tells Engadget it’s letting go of about five percent of staff in its Buy with Prime division. Launched in 2022, Buy with Prime extends the membership’s perks to third-party merchants selling and shipping goods on other sites. CNBC first reported the cuts on Thursday.
An Amazon spokesperson wrote in an email to Engadget that the cuts were part of a standard review of its business needs. “We regularly review the structure of our teams and make adjustments based on the needs of the business and, following a recent review, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles on our Buy with Prime team,” the spokesperson said.
Amazon hasn’t stated how many staff are in the division, but a source with knowledge of the matter tells Engadget about 30 employees are affected by the cuts.
Amazon says Buy with Prime is still a central focus. “Buy with Prime is a top priority for Amazon, with strong adoption from merchants and positive feedback from customers, and we will continue investing significant resources in Buy with Prime to build on that momentum,” the spokesperson wrote to Engadget. “We’re grateful to these employees for their contributions, and we’re focused on supporting them in their next steps.”
The company spokesperson tells Engadget laid-off workers will receive at least 50 days of pay and benefits and be eligible for a severance package. In addition, the company says it’s working to find new roles within Amazon for downsized staff.
Although the number is much smaller this time, the layoffs add to the more than 27,000 workers Amazon has laid off since late 2022 (part of a brutal year-plus of job cuts in the broader tech world). The most recent round, earlier this month, hit Prime Video, MGM Studios, Audible and Twitch. Amazon posted record profits in 2023.
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