The man glanced nervously at his phone, a beat-up android nestled amongst the chaos of his desk. A half-eaten donut sat precariously close, threatening to topple over onto the screen displaying a picture of a chubby toddler, his new step-child. It had all happened so fast. A whirlwind of remarriage and instant fatherhood after a messy divorce (rumored to be violent). Now, whispers swirled around the office about another potential wife number three.
Just then, his phone buzzed – not a personal message but a company email. Amazon Web Services, his employer, was laying off hundreds. A cold dread filled him. Last year, there were massive cuts after the pandemic hiring boom. Now, this? He wasn’t sure what worried him more, losing his job or the thought of facing his new wife with yet another life upheaval.
The email spoke of streamlining, a focus on digital training, and the ever-changing tech industry. It was a cold comfort. Sales were down, customers were cutting back. The news mirrored the company’s recent decision to scrap their cashierless “Just Walk Out” system. Just like that impersonal system, he felt increasingly disposable.
The man sighed, a wave of uncertainty washing over him. He stared at the picture of his toddler, a flicker of hope sparking in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, amidst the chaos, this little one was the constant he needed.
Amazon cuts hundreds of jobs across cloud computing division: GeekWire
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