John McBride, a former software engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS), claims that Amazon is using its new return-to-office mandate as a strategy to reduce its workforce. Mr McBride, who worked at Amazon for a year until June 2023, shared his thoughts on CEO Andy Jassy's announcement, saying it shouldn't have surprised anyone familiar with the company's long-standing practices.

According to Mr McBride, the move is largely motivated by "taxes and economics." He explained that Amazon's workforce reduction plan unfolded in five phases. The first phase involved laying off 30,000 employees, followed by the second phase?implementing the return-to-office policy. The third phase, called "return to team," required employees to work from offices where their team members were physically based.

Mr McBride described his own experience, noting that he had a 20-minute commute to the Denver office. However, when the company required employees to relocate to Seattle, many chose to leave, including McBride, who resigned in 2023 rather than relocate.

I'm a former AWS employee: most of the hot takes on Amazon's new strict return-to-office policy are wrong.

Anyone who's been paying attention saw this coming years ago. And ultimately, it comes down to taxes and economics.

Here's their plan:

Phase 1: layoff over 30k people.?

? John McBride (@johncodezzz) September 18, 2024

The fourth phase, according to Mr McBride, was what he termed "silent sacking," where employees who remained faced an increasingly difficult work environment?being excluded from meetings, sidelined by management, and assigned unfulfilling tasks. The final phase, he said, marked the end of remote work entirely, with everyone required to work from a physical office.

Mr McBride argued that Amazon's return-to-office policy is driven by economic factors rather than a focus on innovation or collaboration. He believes the company is consolidating its workforce to maximize tax incentives and reduce operational costs during a time of economic tightening. Ultimately, McBride views the policy as a strategic move aimed at boosting profit margins, not just improving workplace dynamics.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has not responded to Mr McBride's post on X.