Amazon has laid off an undisclosed number of employees in its Books division, the company has confirmed. The cuts, the e-tail giant said, impacted fewer than 100 roles and, according to Reuters, include layoffs in its Kindle unit and at book review platform Goodreads. The company described the cuts as a strategic consolidation, adding that it plans to move the roles cut from the Books division to other areas of the business.
“As part of our ongoing work to make our teams and programs operate more efficiently, and to better align with our business roadmap, we’ve made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles within the Books organization," said an Amazon spokesperson, in a statement. “We don’t make these decisions lightly, and we’re committed to supporting affected employees through their transitions.”
Amazon has periodically made changes in its books-related businesses. In late 2022, it acknowledged it had made staff reductions in its Devices and Books units during a period where the company had instituted a hiring freeze and was planning companywide cuts to control costs. Not long after those cuts were made, Amazon acknowledged it had downsized its Comixology workforce, also as part of a drive to cut 18,000 jobs from the e-tailer.
Amazon reported record-breaking financial results for fiscal year 2024, including a 30% increase in Kindle sales in its fourth quarter following the introduction of a new generation of Kindle products last year. In its first quarter of fiscal year 2025, the company exceeded what had been cautious expectations, posting a 64.4% increase in revenue, to $17.1 billion, over the comparable period in 2024.
