Amazon is preparing a sweeping expansion of automation across its US operations that could dramatically curb future hiring, according to internal documents and interviews reviewed by The New York Times.
The company’s robotics division reportedly aims to automate up to 75 percent of Amazon’s operational processes, a move that could eliminate the need to hire more than half a million US workers over the next several years.
According to the documents, the automation strategy could allow Amazon to avoid hiring about 160,000 new employees by 2027, saving an estimated $12.6 billion between 2025 and 2027. The company also projects it will double product sales by 2033 without corresponding growth in its workforce.
“Freeing employees from repetitive tasks”
Amazon says the initiative will “free employees from repetitive tasks” while creating new technical jobs in robot maintenance, software engineering, and systems management.
Internally, the company has reportedly advised teams to use phrases such as “advanced technology” and “cobots” (collaborative robots) instead of “robots” or “automation” in public communications, in an apparent effort to reduce concerns over job losses.
An Amazon spokesperson, Kelly Nantel, disputed the report, saying the documents were “incomplete” and did not reflect the company’s broader hiring plans. Nantel emphasised that Amazon still intends to hire 250,000 workers for the upcoming holiday season but did not specify how many of those jobs would be permanent.
Since 2018, Amazon’s US workforce has surged to around 1.2 million employees, making it one of the nation’s largest private employers. The automation push signals a potential turning point for the company—and for the future of warehouse work in America.
