Amazon Ring Workers Ordered to Relocate Amid ‘AI-Powered’ Push

(Bloomberg) -- Amazon.com Inc.’s Ring division has ordered hundreds of customer service workers to relocate to central hubs in the US and UK amid a companywide push to streamline and automate operations.

The affected personnel, who have been working remotely, will have to report to offices in Hawthorne, California; North Reading, Massachusetts; Tempe, Arizona; or London, according to a memo sent earlier this month and reviewed by Bloomberg. Hundreds of workers will have to relocate to keep their jobs, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

In the memo, Amazon’s video doorbell unit said it was looking to transform the customer service department into a “proactive, AI-powered support ecosystem.” 

A subset of workers who deal directly with customers, along with their supervisors, can still work remotely, the memo said. The department also supports Amazon’s Blink camera and home security brand.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the relocation requirement and declined to comment further.

In June, Amazon Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy warned that AI tools capable of performing human tasks would likely shrink the company’s workforce. Four months later, Amazon announced it was eliminating 14,000 corporate positions. 

The latest job cuts roiled a workforce already grappling with several previous rounds of layoffs and an order to return to the office five days a week.

Some employees see the relocation and return-to-office policies as efforts to force people to quit without Amazon having to pay severance. The company denies that and estimated in October that severance costs had reached $2 billion this year as of Sept. 30.

Ring’s relocation mandate will likely prompt a large number of customer-service staff to leave, according to one affected employee, who requested anonymity to avoid possible retaliation.

Ring founder Jamie Siminoff returned to the company as CEO earlier this year and has made clear that AI will play an important role in its future.

--With assistance from Matt Day.

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