‘I have 60 days since I'm on H-1B’: Amazon employee loses job within 4 months of joining

Amazon's recent layoffs within its Alexa division have caused significant distress and uncertainty for affected employees.

One of the professionals affected by the Alexa layoffs used LinkedIn to share his tale of abruptly losing his job after waiting six long months just to secure a position with Amazon. 

The employee, who is on an H1-B visa, described his unfortunate situation, explaining that upon joining the firm in August, he only lasted a mere four months before receiving notice of his termination. As if this wasn't distressing enough, the H1-B visa holder now faces a strict 60-day time frame to secure another job.

"Unfortunately, I was impacted by recent Amazon Alexa layoffs. I joined Amazon in August after waiting for 6 months. Though it was a short stint, I got the opportunity to work in a great team and was able to learn many things in the Alexa ecosystem. Since I am on a H1-B visa I have 60 days to find new opportunities," the ex-Amazon employee wrote on LinkedIn.

He then requested his LinkedIn network for assistance in obtaining a new job.

Amazon recently announced that it is slashing jobs in its Alexa division, according to a Bloomberg report. The decision, said to impact hundreds of employees, was revealed by Daniel Rausch, Amazon’s Vice President of Alexa and Fire TV, via an internal memo. 

While refraining from going into specifics, the company referred to this move as their strategic effort to "better match their business priorities and customer preferences". Albeit this tough decision of layoffs, Amazon has reassured its commitment towards innovation and progression. The company emphasized its focused approach to "maximize resources and concentrate efforts" particularly in the flourishing domain of generative AI.

"These shifts are leading us to discontinue some initiatives, which is resulting in several hundred roles being eliminated," Rausch wrote in the memo, as per the Bloomberg report.

Amazon had already laid off employees from its gaming and music teams.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, the company has been keeping a close watch on its "organisational needs" and "prioritising what matters the most to customers while keeping the business's long-term health in mind." 

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