Project Dawn: Amazon sends layoff email to AWS staff by mistake

Amazon inadvertently sent an internal layoff email to some employees at Amazon Web Services (AWS) hours before the company had formally announced workforce reductions, sparking confusion and renewed speculation about job cuts across the tech giant’s divisions.

According to Reuters, the message, linked to an internal initiative called 'Project Dawn,' was distributed early on Tuesday and later withdrawn, according to multiple reports.

The email, signed by Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president of applied AI solutions at AWS, referenced organisational changes and stated that impacted employees in the US, Canada and Costa Rica had already been notified of layoffs. A team-wide meeting invite tied to the message — also sent prematurely — was quickly cancelled, suggesting the communication was distributed in error.

Employees shared the message in internal Slack channels, with many interpreting it as confirmation of imminent job cuts. The episode comes amid reports that Amazon is planning a second major round of corporate layoffs in 2026, following the roughly 14,000 job cuts announced in October 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce approximately 30,000 roles overall.

The premature email has intensified speculation about workforce reductions affecting not only AWS but potentially also divisions such as retail, Prime Video and human resources, though Amazon has not yet publicly confirmed the full scope or timing of upcoming layoffs.