Amazon Orders US Staff to Relocate to Seattle and Other Hubs

Amazon.com is ordering some corporate employees to move closer to their managers and teams, roiling a workforce already worried about job cuts and warnings from the top that artificial intelligence (AI) will shrink their ranks in the coming years.

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SEATTLE —

Workers are being told to relocate to such cities as Seattle; Arlington, Virginia; and Washington DC. In some cases this would require them to move across the country, according to people familiar with the situation.

Amazon is mostly rolling out the mandate in one-on-one meetings and town halls rather than sending out a mass e-mail, said the people.

One of the people said the relocation policy will affect thousands of employees on several teams.

Mid-career professionals with children in school and partners in established careers are reluctant to make big moves in the light of Amazon's belt-tightening efforts.