Amazon confirmed layoffs within its Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) group on July 22, as the company sharpens its focus on AI initiatives that serve customers most directly. Amazon did not disclose how many employees were affected, but teams led by VPs Adeeb Shanaa and Vishal Sharma were impacted.
An Amazon spokesperson said: "This is a fast-moving space, and we're sharpening our focus on the initiatives that matter most for customers, so we can move faster on what counts." The cuts add to roughly 30,000 layoffs across Amazon since October 2025, including a 16,000-person round in January.
AGI work was consolidated under senior vice president Peter DeSantis in December, following the departures of former AGI leads Rohit Prasad and David Luan. Amazon says it remains committed to building large AI models, including its Nova family, even as it trims the team. Affected US employees receive 90 days of pay and benefits plus severance options.