Amazon makes rare round of layoffs at Seattle headquarters

Tech giant Amazon is laying off hundreds of employees at its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. SAN FRANCISCO -- Amazon laid off workers at its corporate campuses Monday, a rare event at one of the nation's largest corporate employers, sources at the company said. The job eliminations are mostly concentrated in Amazon's consumer retail business and involve several hundred employees in its Seattle offices along with hundreds of others elsewhere, a source within the company who was not authorized to speak publicly told USA TODAY. In a statement, Amazon said that as part of its annual planning process, it is making headcount adjustments across the company involving small reductions in a few areas. The firings are part of a shifting talent allocation to businesses within arenas such as Amazon's Alexa service that are growing, sources said.