Former AWS Engineer Exposes Amazon’s Layoff Tactics

John McBride, a former software engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS), claims that Amazon is using its new return-to-office mandate as a strategy to reduce its workforce. Mr. McBride, who worked at Amazon for a year until June 2023, shared his thoughts on CEO Andy Jassy’s announcement, saying it shouldn’t have surprised anyone familiar with the company’s long-standing practices.
According to Mr McBride, the move is largely motivated by “taxes and economics.” He explained that Amazon’s workforce reduction plan unfolded in five phases. The first phase involved laying off 30,000 employees, followed by the second phase—implementing the return-to-office policy. The third phase, called “return to team,” required employees to work from offices where their team members were physically based.