Amazon’s long-term automation plans appear to be more ambitious than anyone expected. According to local media reports citing leaked internal documents, the company aims to replace more than 600,000 U.S. jobs with robots by 2033.
The reports indicate that Amazon’s robotics division is leading a large-scale automation effort designed to reduce the company’s reliance on human labor while maintaining rapid business growth.
The company expects product sales to roughly double over the next decade, and automation is seen as a way to meet that demand without hiring hundreds of thousands of additional workers.
Internal materials suggest that Amazon is working toward automating up to 75 percent of its operations. By 2027, the company anticipates that approximately 160,000 U.S. roles that would otherwise have been created will instead be handled by automated systems.
This shift is projected to save around 30 cents per item processed in Amazon’s warehouses and delivery network, totaling an estimated $12.6 billion in savings between 2025 and 2027.
To manage the potential reputational impact of these changes, Amazon has reportedly explored ways to frame its automation strategy in more positive terms. This includes emphasizing the role of “advanced technology” and presenting robots as collaborative tools designed to assist human workers, rather than replace them entirely.
The company has also considered community engagement initiatives aimed at maintaining a positive public image as automation expands. Amazon has maintained that the leaked information represents the perspective of a specific internal team and does not fully reflect its overall hiring strategy.
The company continues to recruit for its operations facilities across the United States and has announced plans to hire hundreds of thousands of additional employees during peak seasons.
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