Amazon made a surprising move when it announced in November 2022 that it would lay off 18,000 employees, with the layoffs continuing until January. The decision affected people from various departments, including retail, devices, recruiting, and more. In March, the company confirmed an additional 9,000 job terminations, which impacted individuals from the ads business, Twitch livestreaming, AWS, HR teams, and others. 

Even though it has been over a month since the second round of layoffs were announced, people are still being let go unexpectedly, in ways they didn't anticipate. LinkedIn is filled with stories from impacted "Ex-Amazonians."

Following her lunch break, an ex-Amazon recruiter with over 8 years of service revealed that she was locked out of her system and discovered that she had been fired. Expressing dissatisfaction with the company's handling of the layoffs, she shared her experience.

"After 8 years with Amazon, I’m sad to say that I too, have been impacted by the mass lay-offs that have affected so many. My initial feeling was that of shock, when I was unable to access my computer after Lunch. There was no warning. As many news articles reported, the lay-offs are sudden, void of empathy or explanation, and leave many in a state of confusion of what is actually happening,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post. 

She subsequently expressed that her main concern at the moment is not her own situation, but rather her customers who had depended on her to provide support, as they would now be left in a state of uncertainty.

She further added, "My immediate thought is not of myself, but that my team has so many internal customers relying on my program to keep them whole, and now, they are left in limbo without explanation. My second thought is, no access, means, no good-bye, no thank you for everything."

She further expressed her gratitude towards her colleagues by stating, "Despite being laid-off, along with my entire team, I am extremely grateful for my amazing Amazon Community Together colleagues, and the journey we’ve been on together. There are many mixed feelings, but being able to come together and still laugh through the tears makes me so appreciative to have such empathetic colleagues.."

On LinkedIn, another former Amazon HR employee posted that after 9 years of service, she too was let go. Despite the distressing news, she expressed gratitude for her time at the company.

She wrote, "Yesterday, I received the difficult news that I was one of the 9,000 impacted by the latest round of #amazonlayoffs. Although I am saddened by the news, I am very grateful for the last 9 years I spent helping people find jobs and hiring entire teams at #AWS. I've met so many wonderful people along the way and cherish those that have made a positive impact on my life. 9 years is a long time and perhaps I will be back one day... but for now I'm looking to take time to reflect and explore new opportunities."

Several other employees have shared their stories of layoffs and are currently seeking better job opportunities. It's not just Amazon that has announced job cuts; companies such as Twitter, Meta, and Google have also let go of thousands of employees in the past few months.