Amazon’s sweeping layoffs last month — more than 14,000 roles companywide — cut across nearly every corner of the tech giant’s operations. But documents filed across multiple U.S. states show one group was hit far harder than others: engineers.

WARN filings from New York, California, New Jersey and Washington indicate that of the 4,700+ job cuts reported in those states, almost 40% were engineering positions. These filings represent only part of the total layoffs announced in October, as reporting rules vary by state.

The cuts mark the largest workforce reduction in Amazon’s 31-year history, placing it among more than 230 tech companies that have collectively eliminated about 113,000 jobs this year. Despite surging profits, the industry continues the post-pandemic recalibration that began in 2022.

CEO Andy Jassy has spent years pushing Amazon to operate more like a “lean startup,” cutting bureaucracy and demanding faster decision-making. The layoffs, concentrated in cloud computing, devices, grocery, retail, and advertising teams, reflect that broader effort. More reductions are expected in January, according to prior reports.

At the same time, Amazon is aggressively reallocating resources into artificial intelligence. Jassy has said AI will shrink Amazon’s corporate workforce over time, as tools boost efficiency and reduce dependency on large teams. HR chief Beth Galetti emphasized AI’s impact in her layoff memo, calling the technology “the most transformative” since the internet and urging a leaner, flatter organization.

Amazon insists AI wasn’t the primary reason for the layoffs, attributing the cuts mainly to layers of bureaucracy and cultural stagnation following years of heavy hiring. But filings suggest that mid-level software engineers, particularly SDE II roles, were disproportionately affected — reflecting a trend across the industry as AI-assisted coding tools grow more powerful.

The rise of coding assistants from OpenAI, Cursor, Cognition and Amazon’s own Kiro has intensified competition in the job market, making traditional engineering roles harder to land. As Amazon restructures for an AI-driven future, the company now faces the challenge of sustaining innovation with fewer engineers — and a rapidly changing technological landscape.