Robots Poised to Take 600K Amazon Jobs in Next Decade

Domo arigato, Mr Roboto? Perhaps not if you’re an Amazon employee.

Amazon is undergoing its most ambitious transformation yet: a plan to automate 75% of its operations, dramatically reshaping the future of work at the world’s largest retailer.

The company now deploys 750,000 mobile robots across its warehouses, nearly equaling its human workforce. Internal projections suggest that by 2027, automation will allow Amazon to avoid hiring over 160,000 U.S. workers. By 2033, that figure could exceed 600,000.

Leaked internal documents reviewed by The New York Times describe robotic systems as critical to “flatten Amazon’s hiring curve over the next 10 years,” signaling a shift from automation as a productivity tool to a clear replacement for human labor.

Still, Amazon maintains that the technology is opening new doors. It has pledged more than $100 billion toward AI and cloud infrastructure by 2025. Since introducing robots, the company says it has created over 700 new skilled job categories, and trained more than 700,000 employees in areas like robotics maintenance and systems engineering.

Automation at scale

What’s unfolding is more than a corporate evolution — it’s the rise of what some researchers are calling the “Amazonian Era,” where algorithmic systems increasingly dictate how work is performed across industries.

Amazon’s robotics success has become the industry benchmark, accelerating automation adoption in logistics, retail, manufacturing, and beyond. New robotic systems now handle tasks like reconnaissance, data analysis, and operational decisions with minimal human oversight. Future models aim to fully integrate AI and machine learning, enabling real-time adaptation.

The implications stretch far beyond warehouse floors. As algorithmic management takes hold in sectors ranging from banking and law enforcement to hospitality and customer service, Amazon’s model is redefining how workers are hired, managed, and evaluated.

Unlike past industrial shifts that unfolded over decades, this one is moving at lightning speed. Amazon has already cut order fulfillment costs by 25% without sacrificing service quality — proof that large-scale automation is no longer theoretical. It’s here. It’s growing. And it’s reshaping the economy in real time.