Leaked documents reveal a plan to replace 600,000 jobs by 2033

Robot revolution at Amazon: Leaked documents reveal a plan to replace 600,000 jobs by 2033

Leaked documents reveal that Amazon aims to automate 75% of its fulfillment operations by 2033, eliminating 600,000 US jobs it would otherwise have, with 160,000 job cuts by 2027 alone, saving billions.

Utilities such as Shreveport, Louisiana, have already reduced staffing by 25 percent using robots. Amazon plans to replicate this model in more than 40 warehouses by 2027, modernizing older locations with automation.

Amazon executives are said to be avoiding terms like “automation” and “artificial intelligence,” preferring euphemisms like “high-tech” and “collaborative robots” to mitigate backlash, while workers remain uninformed about impending job losses.

Economists warn that Amazon’s automation could destroy jobs industry-wide, disproportionately hurting Black and Latino workers. Unions condemn the move as “corporate greed on steroids.”

Walmart and UPS are following Amazon’s lead, working to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and robotics. While Amazon claims automation creates higher-skilled jobs, critics say displaced workers lack access to retraining, leaving millions vulnerable.

Amazon, the e-commerce giant and the second-largest private employer in the United States, is accelerating its automation strategy with plans to replace hundreds of thousands of human jobs with robots, according to leaked internal documents obtained by Amazon. New York Times.

The leaked documents outline Amazon’s ambitious goal of automating 75% of its fulfillment processes by 2033, allowing the company to avoid hiring the 600,000 American workers it would otherwise need. By 2027 alone, Amazon expects to eliminate 160,000 jobs, saving 30 cents per item processed, meaning cost reductions worth $12.6 billion between 2025 and 2027.

One of the most surprising predictions in the documents is Amazon’s prediction that sales of its products will double by 2033, meaning the company expects to handle a much larger number of orders with a much smaller number of human workers.

“The ramifications of Amazon replacing 600,000 human jobs with AI automation over the next five years are multifaceted and far-reaching, impacting the economy and society and potentially sparking worker revolts. This shift underscores the urgent need for policy reform, worker retraining, and a societal re-evaluation of human relationships with technology.” BrightU.AIEnoch said.

He added that Amazon’s plans to automate 600,000 jobs have the potential to cause major economic, social, and political disruption, and it is crucial that policymakers, businesses, and communities take proactive steps to mitigate these impacts and ensure a just transition to an AI-based economy.

Rising Robots: The Shreveport Model

A prime example of Amazon’s automation push is its fulfillment center in Shreveport, Louisiana, where automated systems — including wheeled conveyors and robotic arms — have already reduced staffing needs by 25 percent compared to traditional warehouses. The facility serves as a prototype for Amazon’s broader strategy, with plans to replicate the model in an additional 40 warehouses by 2027, starting with a location in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Old warehouses are also being modernized for automation. The Stone Mountain, Georgia, facility, which currently employs 4,000 workers, is expected to operate with 1,200 fewer employees after the upgrade, relying more heavily on temporary hires. Workers at these sites reportedly remained in a state of uncertainty about the extent of automation, with one frustrated job seeker posting on Reddit about his struggle to find employment despite months of searching.

Leaked documents reveal that Amazon executives are fully aware of the potential backlash. To ease public perception, the company has explored avoiding terms like “automation” and “artificial intelligence” in favor of euphemisms like “high-tech” and “collaborative robots.” Employees involved in the transformations were instructed to “control the narrative” by emphasizing the benefits of community and innovation.

Amazon denied instructing executives to avoid certain terms, saying in response to the leaks: “These documents are incomplete and do not reflect our overall hiring strategy.”

The company also highlighted its plans to hire 250,000 seasonal workers for the upcoming holiday season, and pointed to its mechatronics apprenticeship program, which has trained nearly 5,000 workers for high-paying robot maintenance roles.

Economic and labor repercussions

Economists warn that Amazon’s automation push could have ripple effects on the economy. Daron Acemoglu, an economist at MIT and Nobel Prize winner, told The New York Times: New York Times: “No one has the same motivation as Amazon to find a way to automate. Once they figure out how to do it profitably, it will spread to others as well.”

He warned that Amazon risks becoming a “net job destroyer, not a job creator.”

Trade unions responded strongly to the revelations. Sarah Nelson, president of the Teamsters, condemned the plans as “corporate greed on steroids” and vowed to step up organizing efforts. Amazon’s workforce is disproportionately made up of Black and Latino employees, raising concerns that automation will disproportionately impact marginalized communities.

Amazon’s automation strategy reflects a broader company shift toward artificial intelligence and robotics as a cost-cutting measure. Competitors such as Walmart and UPS – which recently announced plans to cut 20,000 jobs – are likely to follow suit.

While Amazon insists that automation will create new jobs that require higher skills, critics argue that many displaced workers lack the training needed to move into these roles. The company’s 19.50-hour warehouse jobs may soon be replaced by 24.45-hour robotics technician jobs, but the barrier to entry remains high.

Leaked Amazon documents confirm what many workers have long suspected: The company sees robots as the future, and that humans are dispensable. As automation accelerates, the US labor market faces a seismic shift, with blue-collar jobs at greatest risk.

The question now is whether policymakers, labor advocates and companies can ensure that automation benefits workers – rather than leaving millions behind. Right now, Amazon’s warehouses are filled with robotic arms, while the humans who once filled these roles face an uncertain future.

Watch the video below About Amazon’s debut of a fully autonomous warehouse robot.

This video is from High hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

(tags for translation) Artificial Intelligence