According to two people familiar with the matter, Amazon plans to cut thousands more corporate positions next week as part of its broader goal of eliminating approximately 30,000 white-collar roles by mid-2026. This follows an initial round of reductions announced in January that affected teams across retail, devices, telecom and human resources. Insiders say the upcoming round will focus heavily on support functions such as finance, marketing and legal, with some business units seeing cuts of 10% to 15% of headcount. Investors will be watching for commentary on the company’s expense trajectory when it reports first-quarter results in late April, as management seeks to balance cost discipline with continued investment in cloud infrastructure and AI research.

Amazon has filed preliminary site plans to build a 230,000-square-foot “big-box” facility on a 35-acre parcel in Orland Park, Illinois, representing its largest standalone retail complex to date. Half of the square footage will be devoted to grocery, general merchandise and prepared foods; the other half will function as a fulfillment center for both in-store and online orders. Third-party delivery drivers and curbside pickup customers will use separate drive-up entrances, while online grocery orders will be assembled in a back-of-house area to keep order pickers out of customer aisles. Orland Park’s board of trustees approved the project without offering tax breaks, projecting that the development will generate an estimated $8 million in annual sales and property tax revenue once fully operational, potentially as soon as late 2024.

Building on its acquisition of One Medical in 2023, Amazon this week launched a new agentic AI assistant within the One Medical mobile app. Developed in collaboration with the chain’s clinical leadership, the Health AI tool integrates with each member’s longitudinal medical record to offer 24/7 guidance on medication management, appointment scheduling and general health questions. The model—powered by Amazon’s proprietary Bedrock framework—escalates users to live clinicians when queries involve complex symptoms or require in-person evaluation. Executives believe the feature could reduce routine inbound calls by up to 30%, freeing physicians’ offices to focus on higher-acuity care while enhancing patient engagement.

Amazon’s twin push to streamline corporate costs and expand its physical retail footprint underscores a two-pronged strategy: defending profitability against rising labor and energy expenses, while testing new omnichannel formats that blend e-commerce efficiency with in-person shopping. The success of the Illinois project will be closely watched as a bellwether for future big-box concepts, and the effectiveness of the layoffs in restoring margin leverage will likely influence management’s willingness to pursue further cost-cutting measures this year. Separately, the rollout of Health AI in One Medical could serve as a template for Amazon’s broader ambitions in digital health, potentially unlocking higher-margin service revenues over the next 12–18 months.