Layoffs Hit Tens Of Thousands At Amazon, UPS, Chegg
October 28, 2025
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It’s only Tuesday and this week has already seen a number of layoff announcements: More than 50,000 corporate employees at some of the nation’s largest companies will soon be let go.
About 14,000 corporate jobs will be cut at Amazon this year, according to a Tuesday memo, which also hinted at additional cuts in 2026. Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, earlier reports had the number at 30,000 layoffs. The cuts are part of Amazon’s larger plan to slim down its corporate ranks and focus on AI. Just last week, the New York Times discovered through internal strategy documents that the company plans to automate about 600,000 roles by 2033.
UPS also announced Tuesday morning that it has cut 48,000 positions so far this year. While a majority of those impacted came from truck drivers and warehouse workers, 14,000 corporate workers were laid off. Other notable companies that have announced layoffs this week include: Paramount, which will cut 1,000 positions on Wednesday; online education company Chegg is cutting 45% of its workforce, or 388 employees; and Target employees will learn today if they are part of the 1,800 corporate positions being eliminated, the largest layoff in the last decade for the retailer. Meta also laid off about 600 members of its AI Superintelligence Labs last week.
If you’re concerned about potential layoffs, be sure to showcase your value every day at work. And if you’ve been impacted by the cuts announced this week, here’s how to work on turning the hardship into a career opportunity.
Now onto this week’s news.
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TOUCH BASE
News from the world of work.
FanDuel CEO Amy Howe and Nike brand president Amy Montagne are among the business executives and front-office leaders that made Forbes’ inaugural list of the Most Powerful Women in Sports. From athletes to owners and investors, the 25 women that made the list are turbocharging the growth in women’s sports.
Employees are increasingly using AI to fake expense reports, according to the Financial Times. Image-generating software has made it easier to falsify receipts, including real menu items and even wrinkles on the pages to dupe both humans and AI software used to detect fraud.
Federal workers missed their first full paycheck last week as the government shutdown rages on. About 670,000 employees have been furloughed, while 730,000 are working without pay. Among those impacted are air traffic controllers, leading to an increase in those calling off sick and causing airport delays across the country.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare have called back furloughed workers to prepare for the start of open enrollment, the period when most Americans sign up for their health insurance plans. They’ll be paid by research fees as the government shutdown continues.
Walmart is pausing job offers for candidates requiring H-1B sponsorship,primarily impacting corporate workers. The company told Forbes it is “committed to hiring and investing in the best talent (…) while remaining thoughtful about [their] H-1B hiring approach.”
NUMBER TO NOTE
$1.5 million per day
That’s how much AI data labeling startup Mercor pays out to contractors it matches with startups to train their models, according to TechCrunch. The company was just valued at $10 billion.
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QUIZ
Which of the following companies is NOT among Forbes’ Best Employers For Engineers list?
A. Sony
B. Procter & Gamble
C. Nestlé
D. Amazon
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