Cory DoctorowOct 29

Amazon made $35b profit last year. They're celebrating by laying off 14,000 workers (a number they say will rise to 30k). This is the kind of thing that Wall Street *loves*, and this layoff comes after a string of pronouncements from Amazon CEO about how AI is going to let them fire *tons* of workers.

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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/10/29/worker-frightening-machines/#robots-stole-your-jerb-kinda

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Show threadT2R
@pluralistic Wait until they have to eat crow and have to rehire a bunch of people because "a.i." can't do the job they were promised it could do.
Oct 29 at 7:38pmWeb
Show threadMarquis de GeekOct 29
@T2R @pluralistic As someone that has all the qualifications for said roles, but been unable to find work "because AI", I look forward to that day with relish and a side order of schadenfreude :)
Show threadEgalitarianOct 29
@marquisdegeek @T2R @pluralistic I wish I was cynical enough to fleece the worlds most gullible idiots who buy into every speculation bubble cooked up by libertarian techbros.
Show threadAmoshiasOct 29
@Egality @marquisdegeek @T2R @pluralistic can you name a libertarian techbro? I've never heard of such a thing.
Show threadThomas JonesOct 29
@T2R @pluralistic

Some of the layoffs are due to increasing roboticization in the fulfillment centers. Unless the robots are significantly less useful than they've anticpated, those jobs won't be coming back.

…And if #Trump's planned wiping out of non-citizen and/or insufficiently English-literate CDLs actually happens, they'll have a hard time keeping those fulfillment centers "fed".