Amazon CEO Andy Jassy denied claims that the return-to-office order was a “backdoor firing.” In a recording of a staff meeting obtained by Reuters and CNBC, Jassy said the move was “very much about our culture, and strengthening our culture.”
Amazon announced in September that it would force employees to return to the office five days a week starting Jan. 2, 2025. The e-commerce giant previously required employees to work three days a week in the office. Some speculated that the five-day week was a “fake firing” aimed at firing employees who could not or did not want to return full-time.
“A number of people I’ve seen theorized that the reason we were doing this is, it’s a backdoor layoff, or we made some sort of deal with city or cities,” Jassy told Reuters aloud during the meeting. “I can tell you both of those are not true. You know, this was not a cost play for us.” Amazon has laid off more than 27,000 employees since 2022.
Recent reports suggest that many Amazon employees are unhappy with the mandate to return to the office. Some have even threatened to quit, Fortune magazine reported. Last month, hundreds of employees signed a letter in protest of remarks made by Amazon Web Services head Matt Gurman, who said there are “other companies” for employees who don’t want to work five days a week.
