Amazon has been the name behind some of the most brutal layoffs in the industry. However, the US giant is investing big time in India. After committing $35 billion to the country, Amazon has announced one of its most ambitious commitments yet to the Indian market – facilitating the creation of an additional one million (10 lakh) new job opportunities in the country by 2030. Earlier this year, the company announced layoffs of around 14,000 corporate employees as part of a restructuring effort to streamline operations and shift focus and investment toward long-term priorities like generative AI.
The massive investment plan, unveiled at the company’s Smbhav Summit in New Delhi, shows Amazon’s deep long-term confidence in India’s digital and economic future, even as the tech giant undergoes a significant global corporate restructuring that recently involved laying off approximately 14,000 employees worldwide. India has lately seen major investments by global tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Cognizant, and others.
Amazon doubles down on India’s digital ecosystem
The $35 billion investment will be poured into three key areas: AI-led digitisation, boosting Indian exports, and expanding employment opportunities. This new commitment is in addition to the nearly $40 billion Amazon has already invested in India since it entered the market in 2010, which was used to build expansive fulfillment centers, transportation networks, and cloud infrastructure.
Amazon currently supports approximately 2.8 million direct, indirect, induced, and seasonal jobs in India, according to an economic impact report by Keystone Strategy released at the summit.
Amit Agarwal, Senior Vice President for Emerging Markets at Amazon, highlighted that the company sees its growth aligning closely with India’s national development goals. “We want to democratise access to AI for millions of Indians and quadruple our cumulative e-commerce exports to $80 billion by 2030,” Agarwal stated.
AI, exports, and job creation
The new job opportunities, which will be direct, indirect, induced, and seasonal, are expected to emerge from Amazon’s expanding logistics, fulfillment, and delivery networks, as well as associated industries like packaging, manufacturing, and transportation.
Amazon’s “Global Selling” program, which has already enabled over $20 billion in cumulative e-commerce exports from India, is being accelerated through a new Accelerate Exports program. This initiative will connect local sellers with manufacturing partners and facilitate global sales. Amazon also plans to bring AI tools to 15 million small businesses and provide AI learning and exposure to four million government school students through curriculum support and technology initiatives by 2030.