October 31, 2025
Culture shock, Bezos-style
Amazon says it didn't cut people because of money. But because of 'culture'
Amazon says layoffs are about “culture,” commenters say it’s corporate cosplay
TLDR: Amazon framed 14,000 layoffs as a “culture” fix, not a money or AI issue, even as sales rose and the stock jumped. Commenters blasted it as spin, joked about PIP purge culture, and fought over visa politics—turning a corporate euphemism into a full-on internet roast.
Amazon’s Andy Jassy insists the latest 14,000 job cuts aren’t about money or AI, but “culture.” With sales up 13% to $180 billion and the stock popping after-hours, the internet promptly spit out its coffee. The top vibe? Skepticism with a side of rage. “Yes, the current executive culture of mass layoffs,” one user snapped, while another summed it up as “PIP culture”—that’s shorthand for performance plans that critics say are used to push people out. Jassy’s pledge to run Amazon like “the world’s largest startup” triggered meme-a-palooza: folks joked about a “startup” with 1.5 million employees trimming “layers” like it’s onion season. One commenter bragged about ghosting Amazon recruiters during the remote-work boom, capping it with an uncensored “F that place,” the internet’s version of a mic drop. Things got extra spicy when a user blamed a “culture of importing cheaper labor,” igniting debate about the H-1B visa program for foreign workers—some called it abuse, others called that take a distraction. And the punchline everyone noticed: Wall Street loved the “culture” talk, while workers felt like the culture being optimized was the culture of layoffs. As one reader jabbed: if culture flows from the top, maybe start the cleanup there. More drama on Amazon’s earnings page.
Key Points
- •Amazon plans to cut about 14,000 jobs, with CEO Andy Jassy attributing the decision to organizational culture.
- •Jassy said the move is not financially or AI driven, despite Amazon reporting 13% year-over-year quarterly sales growth to $180 billion.
- •He cited added layers from past expansion as weakening ownership and slowing leadership, prompting a push to “operate like the world’s largest startup.”
- •Amazon’s workforce peaked at over 1.6 million in 2021 and ended last year at around 1.5 million employees.
- •Amazon shares rose about 13% after-hours following the earnings report; the company says the layoffs aim to stay nimble ahead of future AI efficiencies.