On Wednesday, Amazon announced job cuts affecting its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) division. The company did not specify the exact number of employees impacted nor the specific areas within the AGI group that were involved in these layoffs. This division is crucial for Amazon's AI development efforts and includes teams dedicated to silicon engineering and quantum computing projects.
An Amazon spokesperson stated, “This is a fast-moving space, and we’re sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers, so we can move faster on what counts.” This strategic shift necessitated tough choices, including job eliminations in parts of the AGI team, while the company continues to invest in customer-centric areas.
As Amazon seeks to compete with industry leaders such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, the AGI group plays a vital role in its AI strategy. AGI aims to create systems that can match or surpass human capabilities across various tasks.
In a follow-up comment after inquiries, an Amazon representative emphasized the importance of developing large AI models and reaffirmed that the company is honing its focus on essential initiatives to enhance customer outcomes. This focus has led to the unfortunate decision to reduce some positions within the AGI group.
The AGI division recently underwent significant leadership changes, with Rohit Prasad, a key figure in the AGI space, leaving at the end of last year, followed by David Luan, head of the AGI Lab, who departed in February. Following these exits, AGI was reorganized under Senior Vice President Peter DeSantis in December 2025 as part of a larger team that also handles silicon and quantum computing efforts.
Reports from online forums indicated that employees from the teams led by Adeeb Shanaa, vice president of AGI data services, and Vishal Sharma, vice president of AGI information, were among those affected by the recent layoffs.
Earlier this year, Amazon had already announced the elimination of around 16,000 corporate positions, bringing the total number of layoffs to about 30,000 since October 2025, with indications that further cuts may still be on the horizon.
Although these roughly 30,000 layoffs represent a mere fraction of Amazon’s 1.58 million workforce—most of whom are engaged in warehouse and fulfillment roles—they constitute nearly 10 percent of the corporate staff. This marks the most significant reduction in Amazon's history, surpassing the approximately 27,000 jobs cut between late 2022 and early 2023.
/Amazon%20-%20Image%20by%20bluestork%20via%20Shutterstock.jpg "Amazon Resizes Its Artificial General Intelligence Team, Viewing It as a Reset Rather Than a Retreat.")
