“Amazon Layoffs 2026: Is Cutting 14,000 Jobs and Spending $35B on AI a Smart Move?”

 Amazon layoffs: Amazon’s stock is holding steady on the surface, but beneath that calm, investor confidence is being quietly tested. As the company prepares to cut thousands of corporate jobs just days before earnings, concerns are growing about how aggressively Amazon is spending on artificial intelligence while workforce growth slows. The tension between cost discipline and long-term ambition is now shaping how markets view the tech giant.

Shares of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) are up modestly this week, gaining about 0.5%. Yet retail investor sentiment has turned noticeably negative. Social data tracking discussions across Reddit and X shows Amazon’s sentiment score slipping to –0.15, a sharp reversal from its positive quarterly average of 0.12. Among major technology peers, Amazon now stands apart. NVIDIA, Alphabet, Meta, and Apple continue to enjoy neutral to bullish retail enthusiasm, even as broader markets digest higher interest rates and geopolitical uncertainty.

The shift in mood comes as Amazon prepares to eliminate roughly 14,000 to 15,000 corporate roles beginning January 28, according to Reuters. The layoffs come at a time when Amazon is also accelerating capital investment, particularly in AI infrastructure. In the most recent quarter, capital expenditures surged 55% year over year to $35.1 billion. Revenue growth remained strong at 13.4%, but operating income barely moved, rising just 0.06%. For many investors, that imbalance is becoming harder to ignore.

Looking ahead to the February 5th earnings report, the market is laser-focused on one metric: Return on Invested Capital (ROIC). Amazon’s ability to prove that its $100 billion-plus annual Capex is generating high-margin software revenue will be the catalyst for the next leg of the stock's journey. Most Wall Street analysts maintain a "Strong Buy" rating with price targets as high as $340, arguing that the market is underestimating the "flywheel effect" of AI within the Amazon ecosystem.

Stock performance lags big tech rivals

Amazon’s stock performance highlights the unease. Year to date, AMZN is up about 4.1%. That compares unfavorably with NVIDIA’s roughly 27.5% gain and Alphabet’s surge of more than 60% over the past year. Even Meta and Apple have outpaced Amazon, supported by clearer margin stories and more immediate AI monetization.

Wall Street remains largely optimistic. About 95% of analysts rate Amazon a Buy, with an average price target near $295, implying roughly 26% upside from current levels. Analysts continue to highlight AWS, advertising, and logistics efficiency as long-term drivers. Still, the gap between institutional optimism and retail skepticism has widened.

NVIDIA’s contrast is particularly striking. The chipmaker is posting earnings growth above 60% and operating margins exceeding 50%, far above Amazon’s roughly 11% margin. Investors appear more comfortable backing companies where AI spending directly drives profits today, rather than tomorrow.

Amazon job cuts and the AI cost question

Amazon’s latest round of job reductions is not limited to one unit. Cuts are expected across AWS, core retail operations, Prime Video, and human resources. CEO Andy Jassy has described the changes as part of a broader cultural shift driven by automation and AI adoption, rather than a short-term cost-saving exercise. That framing has unsettled some retail investors, who see the layoffs as evidence of structural change rather than cyclical adjustmen .

Online discussions reflect those concerns. Many traders point to the scale of Amazon’s AI spending and question how quickly it can translate into margin expansion. The company spent $35.1 billion on capital expenditures in the third quarter alone, pushing free cash flow down to $14.8 billion. Special charges of $4.3 billion further weighed on operating income. While AWS growth reaccelerated to about 20%, profitability gains did not follow at the same pace.

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The concern is not that Amazon is investing in AI, but that the timing is difficult. Global demand remains uneven, consumer spending is slowing in parts of the U.S., and enterprise customers are scrutinizing cloud costs more closely. At the same time, AI infrastructure requires heavy upfront investment with uncertain near-term returns. For a company already managing thin margins in retail, the pressure is visible.

AIinvestment meets a fragile global backdrop

Amazon’s strategic choices are also unfolding against a complex global backdrop. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have intensified following recent escalations involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Energy markets remain volatile, shipping routes face periodic disruption, and global risk sentiment can shift quickly. For a company as globally integrated as Amazon, these factors matter.

Higher oil prices and regional instability can raise logistics costs and pressure consumer demand. At the same time, U.S. companies are navigating tighter financial conditions as interest rates remain elevated. In this environment, large-scale capital spending draws closer scrutiny, especially when paired with workforce reductions.

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Amazon has weathered such periods before. Its long-term strategy has often involved absorbing near-term pain to build durable platforms. AWS itself followed that path. The difference now is scale. A $35 billion quarterly capex run rate places Amazon among the most aggressive investors in AI infrastructure worldwide.