Amazon has begun mass layoffs of workers across its corporate ranks, becoming the latest tech company to reduce its workforce amid growing concerns about the broader economic environment.

On Tuesday, the company notified regional authorities in California that it would lay off about 260 workers at various facilities employing data scientists, software engineers, and other corporate staff. These job cuts will take effect starting January 17.

Amazon has not specified the number of additional layoffs that may be underway beyond those confirmed through the California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, which requires companies to provide 60 days’ notice if they have 75 or more full-time or part-time workers. Amazon employs more than 1.5 million workers worldwide, primarily hourly employees.

The online retail giant, like other tech and social media giants, saw huge profits during the COVID-19 pandemic as shoppers bought more items online from home. But revenue growth slowed as the worst of the pandemic waned and consumers relied less on e-commerce.

The Seattle-based company also recorded two consecutive losses this year, mainly driven by writedowns of its equity investments in electric vehicle startup Rivian Automotive. The company returned to profitability in the third quarter, but investors were pessimistic about its revenue, which came in weaker than expected, and the bleak outlook for the current quarter, which is usually good for retailers due to the holiday shopping season.

Also, in an effort to cut costs, Amazon has already canceled some of its projects — including its fabric.com subsidiary, Amazon Care, and the cold-size home delivery robot Scout. It has also been scaling back its physical footprint by delaying — or canceling — plans to occupy some new warehouses across the country. Amazon’s Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky said the company is preparing for what might be a slower growth period and will be cautious about hiring in the near future.

Mass layoffs are rare at Amazon, but the company has faced rounds of job cuts in 2018 and 2001 during the dot-com bust. In its warehouse operations, the e-commerce giant usually reduces its workforce through attrition.

Facing high costs, the company earlier this month announced it would pause hiring across its corporate workforce, adding to a freeze it put in place a few weeks ago in the retail division. But layoffs were not far off. Employees working in various units, including the Alexa voice assistant and the Amazon Luna cloud gaming platform, said they were laid off on Tuesday, according to LinkedIn posts. Some were based in Seattle, where the company is headquartered.

In a note to the hardware and services team shared by Amazon on its website, team Vice President David Limp said the company is consolidating some teams and programs. He said those laid off in the process were notified on Tuesday, and the company will work with them "to provide support," including help finding new jobs. If employees cannot find a new role within the company, Limp said Amazon will provide severance payments, external job placement support, and what he called transition benefits.

Additionally, the retail giant is following other tech giants who have cut jobs in recent weeks — a reversal from earlier this year when demand for tech workers was high. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said last week it would lay off 11,000 people, about 13% of its workforce. Elon Musk, the new CEO of Twitter, halved the company’s workforce this month.