Amazon Layoffs affect Twitch employees, including Trust and Safety Team

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 29/10/2025

Over 14,000 employees have been affected by recent Amazon layoffs, including several Twitch employees. 

The layoffs have hit crucial areas such as Twitch’s Trust and Safety Team, and have already been linked to Amazon’s increased reliance on AI. 

Twitch Trust and Safety Team hit by layoffs less than two weeks after major streamer safety concerns

One division confirmed to be affected by the Amazon layoffs is Twitch’s Trust and Safety team.

Although reports vary, it is expected that 100-500 employees will be lost from Twitch overall. 

Twitch’s involvement in the Amazon layoffs comes less than two weeks after several disastrous safety-related incidents at TwitchCon San Diego raised questions over whether TwitchCon events should be shut down. 

Content creators and viewers have already identified the concerning overlap between the two issues. 

Following TwitchCon San Diego, Twitch was forced to issue apologies for its handling of streamer and content creator safety. This included apologising for lax security leading to the assault of popular streamer Emiru, and poor handling of the aftermath. 

TwitchCon is primarily an offline event and presents its own set of risks and issues. Nevertheless, problems with streamer security on the streaming platform itself are deeply connected to safety at the event. 

Twitch CEO, Dan Clancey, recently alluded to this connection. 

After Emiru’s assault at TwitchCon, he stated in an interview, “I do think that when you’re livestreaming, in many ways you can control your community.”

However, a streamer’s control over their community depends heavily on Twitch’s platform management. In not mentioning this, Clancy was accused of partially shifting blame for Emiru’s assault onto herself, rather than Twitch’s inadequate event security. 

Now that the Twitch departments responsible for platform safety and security have been impacted by the Amazon layoffs, essential questions must be raised about whether Twitch can adequately protect users, both online and offline. 

AI rises again as a contributor to Amazon layoffs   

Unsurprisingly, the transition to greater reliance on AI has contributed to the Amazon layoffs. 

It is unclear how closely AI is directly related to the Twitch layoffs. However, Amazon executives have openly admitted that AI is a significant contributor to the company’s restructuring initiatives.  

In June 2025, Amazon’s CEO wrote in a letter to employees. This letter stated, “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.” 

He continued, “It’s hard to know exactly where this nets out over time, but in the next few years, we expect that this will reduce our total corporate workforce as we get efficiency gains from using AI extensively across the company.”

For 14,000 Amazon employees, including at least 100 Twitch employees, this forewarned workforce reduction has now hit them personally. 

AI’s involvement in Amazon’s layoffs will also likely raise concerns about other potential job losses in the gaming and esports industries.

EA’s recent AI Strategic Partnership triggered aggressive community pushback and refuelled rumours of pending layoffs at the game publishing company. Although EA has stated that layoffs are not imminent, there is little comfort to be found in that. 

From game development to livestreaming, AI is increasingly pushing human employees out of the picture. 

Even for Twitch, a platform built on live human engagement, the humans behind the technology are fast disappearing. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

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