Since then, Amazon admitted it was consolidating “some teams and programs” in its hardware and services division, as SVP Dave Limp put it in a November email. However, the company never officially confirmed the original number. CEO Andy Jassy did tell workers that there would be “more role reductions as leaders continue to make adjustments” in 2023, but the company’s been very vague about how many positions are being affected. Amazon didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

In October, Amazon announced that it had returned to double-digit sales growth, thanks to its “biggest Prime Day event ever” in July. It also promised investors that it was making “steady progress” toward cutting costs. On January 3rd, it reported to the SEC that it took out an $8 billion loan to be used for “general corporate purposes.” An unnamed spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company has been using “different financing options to support capital expenditures, debt repayments, acquisitions and working capital needs” as it navigates an “uncertain macroeconomic environment.”

If Amazon really is cutting 17,000 employees, it will be one of the largest reductions from a tech giant yet. In the past few months, Meta announced that it was laying off around 11,000 employees, while companies like Intel have announced that they’re planning to make significant cuts throughout the year. Earlier on Wednesday, Salesforce said it would be cutting about 10 percent of its workforce, which translates to about 8,000 employees, while Vimeo said it would be laying off 11 percent of staff.