Overview
- The New York Times reports that internal materials outline plans to automate about 75% of Amazon’s operations through expanded robotics.
- Projections in the documents indicate the company could forgo roughly 160,000 U.S. roles that would otherwise be needed by 2027.
- The plan is described as delivering approximately $0.30 in savings per item handled and about $12.6 billion in savings from 2025 to 2027.
- The report says Amazon explored image-bolstering steps such as community projects and using terms like “advanced technology” or “cobot,” a point the company disputes regarding any directive on language.
- Economist Daron Acemoglu warns that if the automation targets are achieved, Amazon could become a net job destroyer and the approach could spread to rivals.