Amazon slashes another 16,000 jobs 🚨

TRADE NEWS

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs as restructuring deepens

Amazon has confirmed one of the largest workforce reductions in its history, announcing the elimination of approximately 16,000 corporate jobs in January 2026, just three months after cutting 14,000 positions in October 2025. Combined, the two rounds amount to nearly 30,000 roles, representing roughly 10% of Amazon’s corporate workforce. The news first emerged after an internal email was accidentally sent to employees ahead of the formal announcement, revealing an internal restructuring initiative referred to as “Project Dawn.” The message outlined a broad push to streamline operations and reduce internal complexity.

While Amazon still employs around 1.58 million people globally, the latest cuts are heavily concentrated in white-collar roles across corporate teams, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Prime Video, human resources, retail planning, and internal operations. Frontline warehouse roles were largely unaffected. What makes this round of layoffs especially significant for global trade and supply chains is Amazon’s explicit shift toward automation and artificial intelligence as part of its restructuring strategy. Leadership has linked the reductions to efforts to reduce layers, increase ownership, and remove bureaucracy — changes increasingly enabled by AI systems capable of handling planning, optimisation, forecasting, and administrative decision-making faster and at lower cost than large teams.

The move also reflects a broader reset following Amazon’s pandemic-era hiring surge, when demand doubled and headcount expanded rapidly. As consumer behaviour normalises and digital systems mature, Amazon is cutting roles that now overlap with automated workflows and AI-assisted decision tools. For global trade operators, the signal is clear: automation is no longer limited to warehouses and fulfilment centres. It is now reshaping the corporate functions that determine how inventory moves, logistics networks scale, and supply chains are managed worldwide. Watch Clip

TOGETHER WITH VSP VISON CARE

Vision Plans Starting at $13 a Month

Take control of your vision care costs with a VSP® Individual Vision Plan. Plans include a comprehensive eye exam and up to 30% savings on lens enhancements, like anti-glare. VSP members save an average of more than $350* a year on their vision care.

Savings based on state and national averages for eye exams and most commonly purchased brands and lens enhancements. This number represents average savings for VSP members at in-network providers. Your actual savings will depend on the eyewear you choose, your plan, the eye doctor you visit, your copays, and your premium. Source: VSP book-of-business paid claims data for Aug-Jan of each prior year.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Inside the Dubai chocolate boom as factories scale up

Whether it's local bakeries or big chocolatiers, there seems to be a version of "Dubai chocolate" just about everywhere. So how did this dessert become a viral sensation and how are businesses around the world cashing in on the trend?

TRADE SNIPPETS

EU and India agree landmark trade deal. The European Union and India have struck a major trade agreement after years of talks, cutting tariffs, boosting market access, and strengthening economic and security ties amid rising global trade tensions.

Singapore-flagged bulk carrier sinks in South China Sea. A Singapore-registered bulk carrier, the Devon Bay sank in the South China Sea while en route to Yangjiang, China, prompting search and rescue operations. At least two crew members have died, 17 have been rescued, and four remain missing.

Trump proposes 25% tariff hike on South Korean imports. The US plans to lift tariffs on South Korean goods to 25%, escalating trade tensions after Seoul failed to meet framework deal terms, with autos and pharmaceuticals among the sectors affected.

US dollar crashes, Japan readies yen intervention. The US dollar has weakened sharply against the Japanese yen, prompting Japan’s finance authorities to prepare market intervention to stabilise the currency and curb volatility in forex markets.

Vibe code with your voice

Vibe code by voice. Wispr Flow lets you dictate prompts, PRDs, bug reproductions, and code review notes directly in Cursor, Warp, or your editor of choice. Speak instructions and Flow will auto-tag file names, preserve variable names and inline identifiers, and format lists and steps for immediate pasting into GitHub, Jira, or Docs. That means less retyping, fewer copy and paste errors, and faster triage. Use voice to dictate prompts and directions inside Cursor or Warp and get developer-ready text with file name recognition and variable recognition built in. For deeper context and examples, see our Vibe Coding article on wisprflow.ai. Try Wispr Flow for engineers.

Try Wispr Flow

CLIPS ON “X”

LETS MEME

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here for update