Amazon wants to keep corporate headcount growth flat but is still hiring selectively in some areas of the company, including generative AI.
That’s the word from Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky, who spoke with reporters following Amazon’s first quarter earnings report.
Amazon now employs 1.52 million people as of March 31, up 4% year-over-year.
The tech giant went on a hiring spree during the pandemic to help meet demand, but then laid off 27,000 corporate workers last year and continues to cut from its workforce.
Olsavsky said the year-over-year growth in headcount is mainly driven by its warehouse-related operations.
“If you look into more of the office environment, headcount is still moderating,” he said.
Olsavsky pointed to generative AI as one area of the company that is hiring. “There’s a lot of new activity and excitement,” he said.
Olsavsky said generative AI is now a “multi-billion dollar revenue run rate business” for Amazon.
Many tech companies are looking to hire workers to build out their generative AI teams.
The broader tech downturn that began in 2022 forced employers to trim headcount across the industry. Many are still making cuts; nearly 80,000 tech employees have been laid off this year, according to Layoffs.fyi.
