US tech giant Amazon unintentionally alerted employees to a fresh round of layoffs this week after an internal email intended for later release was sent prematurely to some workers, raising concerns about another major workforce reduction at the company.
On Tuesday, staff at Amazon Web Services (AWS) received a calendar invitation entitled “Send Project Dawn email” that included a draft message from Colleen Aubrey, a senior vice president at AWS. The email, seen by multiple news outlets, said affected employees in the United States, Canada, and Costa Rica had already been notified of job losses as part of an organisational restructuring plan dubbed Project Dawn.
The invitation — and its attached message — appeared to have been sent in error. Within minutes, the scheduled meeting was canceled and the draft communication was withdrawn from inboxes. Amazon has declined to comment publicly on the email mishap.
While Amazon has not yet officially confirmed the scope or timing of the cuts, media reports suggest the company is preparing for another significant round of layoffs after previously announcing the elimination of 14,000 corporate roles in October 2025. Speculation from multiple sources indicates that as many as 16,000 jobs could be affected in the coming weeks, although these figures have not been formally confirmed by Amazon.
In the prematurely sent message, Aubrey wrote that the changes were part of ongoing efforts to “strengthen the company by reducing layers, increasing ownership and removing bureaucracy,” and described such decisions as hard but necessary to position Amazon and AWS for future success. The email also referenced a separate communication from the company’s human resources chief that had not yet been issued.
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The blunder comes at a time when many major tech firms — including Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft — have been cutting tens of thousands of jobs as they adjust to slower growth, rising costs, and increased automation. Industry trackers estimate that hundreds of thousands of technology workers have been laid off globally over the past few years.
For Amazon employees, the accidental email sparked confusion and anxiety, with many workers sharing the message internally and debating its implications. Analysts say the incident highlights the challenges large companies face in managing sensitive communications around workforce changes.
