Amazon is cutting thousands of jobs, but the robots will be spared.
While the company has been unusually vague about layoff details, one team appears to have continued support: consumer robotics.
In an email to employees last week, reviewed by Insider, VP of Consumer Robotics Ken Washington reaffirmed that commitment, telling his team that the vision for home robots "remains intact."
Washington's team, with over 900 employees, is primarily in charge of Astro, the Alexa-powered home-roaming robot released last year, according to a person familiar with the team. Washington reports to Dave Limp, Amazon's SVP of Devices and Services, who confirmed layoffs in a team-wide email last week. Washington joined Amazon last year and was previously Ford's CTO.
"We are committed to the future of consumer robots and, as Dave said, we will further prioritize what matters most to our customers and the business," Washington wrote in the email. "Our vision remains intact that customers will want at least one robot in their home or business because they are invaluable home assistants, endearing companions, and trusted helpers that make every day better."
An Amazon spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment.
Some employees saw Washington's email as a rare assurance of job security, as the rest of the company is scrambling to figure out which teams are affected by layoffs. Most managers have offered few details since the cuts began last week. Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy didn't address the workforce until last Thursday, four days after news of the layoffs leaked to the press.
Amazon's broader Alexa and hardware devices team, which includes the consumer robotics business, is dealing with a lot of confusion and low morale, as Insider previously reported. The layoffs are expected to mainly target the Alexa and devices unit, which failed to build a feasible business model despite the early success of its voice technology.
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