Did Artificial Intelligence Drive Amazon Layoffs?

When Amazon announced it was cutting 16,000 corporate jobs, many assumed it was the latest phase of CEO Andy Jassy’s push to reduce the corporate workforce as AI brings more efficiency gains. But like other companies that have tied layoffs to AI — including Pinterest and Dow — it can be hard for economists, or individual employees, to know if AI is the real reason or the message a company wants to tell Wall Street.