Amazon has confirmed it will cut 16,000 jobs worldwide, just hours after employees received an email that was apparently shared by accident. The message was quickly cancelled, but had already spread among staff.

The email referred to job losses in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica. It said the layoffs were part of efforts to “strengthen the company” by reducing internal layers and speeding up decision-making.

Early the next day, Amazon officially announced the job cuts. The company said the move is meant to remove bureaucracy and improve efficiency across teams.

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Beth Galetti, Amazon’s senior vice president of people experience and technology, said the company is not planning frequent large-scale layoffs. She explained that while many teams completed restructuring in October, others only finished this process now.

Amazon employs about 1.5 million people globally, including nearly 350,000 in corporate roles. The company has not shared details on which departments or countries will be hit hardest by the latest cuts.

The accidental email was linked to “Project Dawn,” Amazon’s internal name for the layoffs. It was written by a senior Amazon Web Services executive and sent through a calendar invite by an assistant.

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The email said the changes were difficult but necessary to prepare Amazon and AWS for future success. It also acknowledged the emotional toll such decisions have on employees.

Former employees say the layoffs were expected. Many believed Amazon planned to cut around 30,000 jobs in total, with further reductions likely in the coming months.

Laid-off workers were allowed to apply for other roles inside Amazon, but opportunities were limited. Those who did not find new positions received severance pay based on their length of service.