BI
- Thousands of Amazon workers lost their jobs this week.
- The layoffs were a major shake-up at the tech giant and could be a sign of things to come in the age of AI.
- Follow along with the conversation live here at 2 pm ET on Thursday.
With AI rolling out across industries, one question has loomed: will people lose their jobs?
Amazon kick-started an answer this week.
On Tuesday, the Jeff Bezos-owned tech giant cut 14,000 workers across its corporate workforce. Amazon said the deep cuts were the latest in CEO Andy Jassey’s plan to have the firm act “like the world’s largest startup.”
Business Insider’s tech team used internal documents to reveal how Amazon’s top brass shared the news, what they told workers who were laid off, and their advice for the staff who remained.
But all eyes are now on what comes next — not just for Amazon but companies beyond Silicon Valley as artificial intelligence rattles a frozen job market.
Is AI behind Amazon’s decision to lay off 14,000 employees, and will more companies follow suit with layoffs of their own?
Business Insider’s Chief Tech Correspondent Eugene Kim and Chief Correspondent Aki Ito will join Deputy Executive Editor Dan DeFrancesco to discuss.
Kim broke news about the divisions of Amazon hit hardest by the layoffs, while Ito’s latest piece explored how Amazon’s full-throttle approach to layoffs could be a warning sign of more AI-related job cuts.
Kim and Ito will tackle Amazon’s business case for the layoffs, look ahead to the company’s earnings, and flag what white-collar workers should watch for in this new age of AI.
You can watch the discussion live here at 2 pm ET on Thursday: