Amazon cuts at least 100 jobs in robotics division

This March 31, 2021 photo shows a sign at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in North Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon on Tuesday confirmed it laid off staff across its robotics unit, with at least 100 white-collar jobs affected, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This comes after a January cut of about 16,000 jobs with the company at the time hinting layoffs would continue.

The division axed on Tuesday is responsible for designing robots and other conveyances for automation, primarily in warehouses.

“We regularly review our organizations to make sure teams are best set up to innovate and deliver for our customers,” Amazon said in the statement, without specifying the number of jobs cut. Business Insider earlier reported the robotics cuts.

Starting with a round of some 14,000 white-collar employees in October, Amazon has trimmed 30,000 corporate employees, tying them to efficiency gains from artificial intelligence, as well as revising company culture.

The layoffs represented nearly 10 per cent of white-collar workers, though the bulk of Amazon’s 1.5 million workers are hourly staff, particularly in warehouses known as fulfillment centers.

The latest job cuts come after Amazon in January halted development of a robotic arm known as Blue Jay that it demonstrated at an event in October. Blue Jay featured multiple robotic arms that could grab several items at once and was designed to help workers in smaller spaces.

In addition to the broader cuts in October and January, Amazon over the past year has pared a smaller number of jobs in its devices and services, books, podcasts and public relations units, among others.