Amazon plans to automate warehouses and avoid 600K future hires by 2033

Amazon is planning unprecedented warehouse automation that could eliminate the need for 600,000 future hires by 2033, according to internal documents and interviews reported by The New York Times. The retail giant expects to double its product sales over the next decade while using advanced robotics to automate 75% of all operations, potentially saving 30 cents per item shipped to US customers.

What you should know: Amazon’s robotics strategy targets massive operational savings through strategic workforce reduction rather than traditional expansion.

• The company recently deployed its 1 millionth robot and has been scaling autonomous systems since launching its first fully mobile warehouse robot in 2022.
• Internal projections show Amazon could avoid 160,000 hires by 2027 alone, with the ultimate goal of preventing 600,000 positions that would otherwise be needed to meet projected demand growth.
• Despite already operating warehouses with minimal human staff, Amazon plans to continue building facilities designed around robotic automation.

The language strategy: Internal documents reveal Amazon executives are deliberately avoiding certain terminology when discussing automation plans.

• Company communications recommend using “advanced technology” instead of “automation” or “AI” when describing robotics initiatives.
• Executives are encouraged to say “cobot” rather than “robot” because the former suggests collaborative human-machine relationships.
• This linguistic approach appears designed to soften public perception of job displacement impacts.

Community relations efforts: Amazon is reportedly preparing for potential backlash by establishing goodwill in affected communities.

• The company is participating in local events to build a reputation as a “good corporate citizen” in areas where automation will impact employment.
• These community engagement efforts are happening alongside the rollout of increasingly automated facilities.

What Amazon is saying: The company disputed key aspects of the report in its statement to The New York Times.

• Amazon called the cited plans “incomplete and not reflective of its overall hiring strategy.”
• The company denied that community outreach efforts were connected to automation plans and rejected claims about restricting executive language around robotics.
• Amazon announced plans to hire 250,000 workers for the upcoming holiday season but declined to specify how many positions would be permanent.

Why this matters: The scale of Amazon’s automation ambitions could reshape both the logistics industry and local labor markets where the company operates major facilities, while raising questions about corporate responsibility during technological transitions.