'Employees are called families...sab drama, AI which brings misery to people is useless': CIO on Amazon's layoffs

Gurmeet Chadha, CIO and Managing Partner of Complete Circle, has criticized Amazon’s continuing layoffs, calling the company’s claims of treating employees like “family” mere “drama.”

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Chadha expressed concern over the tech giant’s decision to cut an additional 10,000 positions—following an earlier round of 18,000 layoffs in November last year. 

"They call their HR heads as People experience head, chief people officer and fancy names.. employees r called families. Sab drama!!" Chadha wrote.

"AI or any disruption which brings misery to your own people is useless,” he wrote, adding that he values people “more than anything else.”

Chadha also invoked the principle of “Sarbat da bhalla,” from the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev, which emphasizes collective well-being. “Any innovation,” he said, “should keep people’s welfare at the core.” 

"Call me old school but I value people more than anything else. Any innovation as Guru Nanak Devji said, shud keep people welfare ( Sarbat da bhalla) as the core," he added.

Amazon is laying off 10000 more people after laying off 18k in November

They call their HR heads as People experience head, chief people officer and fancy names.. employees r called families.

Sab drama!!

AI or any disruption which brings misery to ur own people is useless.…

— Gurmeet Chadha (@connectgurmeet) March 17, 2025

According to multiple media reports, the American e-commerce giant is planning to eliminate 14,000 managerial positions by early 2025, aiming to save between $2.1 billion and $3.6 billion annually.

The move represents a 13% reduction in the e-commerce giant’s global management workforce, bringing the number of managers down from 105,770 to 91,936. The announcement follows recent layoffs in Amazon’s communications and sustainability units, reflecting a broader effort to streamline operations.