Amazon is reportedly laying off several hundred employees from its Prime Video and MGM Studios divisions. Mike Hopkins, the Senior Vice President of the division, confirmed the news in an email on Wednesday, as reported by TechCrunch.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Hopkins explained the rationale behind the layoffs, emphasizing a strategic shift to "reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas while increasing our investment and focus on content and product initiatives that deliver the most impact."

The company has already begun notifying impacted employees in the United States, with plans to complete notifications across most other regions by the end of the week.

Amazon is providing the affected staff with comprehensive support packages, which include separation payments, transitional benefits, and assistance with career transition, as detailed in the report.

Hopkins further commented on the restructuring, stating, “Our prioritization of initiatives that we know will move the needle, along with our continued investments in programming, marketing, and product, positions our business for an even stronger future.”

In a related development, Amazon's live game streaming subsidiary Twitch is reportedly preparing to lay off about 35% of its workforce, translating to roughly 500 employees, within the week. This follows a series of layoffs and the shutdown of its South Korean operations last year due to high operational costs.

A Bloomberg report suggests that these new job cuts at Twitch, anticipated to be announced imminently, are a response to mounting concerns over the platform's financial performance. (with inputs from IANS)