Amazon had told thousands of its corporate employees that they must move to big city hubs like Seattle, Arlington, or Washington D.C. , Workers have 30 days to decide if they’ll relocate, and then 60 days to actually move or quit—without any severance pay if they choose to resign. 

This move comes as layoffs are happening across many industries, making Amazon staff even more worried and stressed.

The policy affects people across several departments, especially mid-level employees with families or partners who have steady jobs, many of whom don’t want to uproot their lives. 

Amazon says the goal is to bring teams closer together to work better, but admits there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

At the same time, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has told employees that the company’s workforce will likely shrink over the next few years. 

The main reason: Amazon is investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI), which is expected to make the company more efficient and reduce the need for as many employees. 

Jassy called generative AI a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that will change how work is done and open up new opportunities for the company and its customers.