Amazon reportedly seeks to rehire former employees for AWS and AI roles

Amazon is reportedly contacting former employees, including people affected by earlier layoffs, about returning to roles in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The reported effort is focused mainly on Amazon Web Services (AWS), according to recruiter emails cited by Business Insider and summarized by TechRadar.

The roles reportedly include work in AWS, cloud computing, AI, ML and agentic AI. One recruiter allegedly called the effort the “Swami’s Boomerang Reengagement Initiative,” a reference to Swami Sivasubramanian, an AWS vice president for Agentic AI. The reports also say Amazon may shorten interviews for returning workers by skipping some screening steps.

Business Insider also reported that Amazon is asking former employees why they left and whether return-to-office (RTO) requirements influenced their decisions. Amazon spokesperson Haley Silva told the publication that the company is not specifically targeting people who left because of RTO, and that its in-office expectations have not changed.

The reported hiring push comes amid ongoing layoffs. TechRadar’s account says Amazon cut around 30,000 workers in the past year. It describes the rehires as part of a shift toward reducing staff in some areas while adding workers in others. Amazon’s reported outreach and the reasons behind it have not been independently confirmed in the source material.