Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy said the company now has more than a million robots in its fulfillment network and expects many repetitive jobs that people do to be handled by robots, but noted that Amazon will “always have a lot of teammates” in its fulfillment centers.
Jassy Says Robots Are Reshaping Amazon’s Warehouses
Jassy made the comments on Amazon’s third-quarter earnings call on Thursday while responding to Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak, who asked what robotics milestones Amazon is focused on for 2027.
Jassy said, “We have over a million robots now in our fulfillment network.” He added that robots are having a significant impact on Amazon’s cost structure, productivity and safety, and that its safety numbers in the network are “at record-low numbers.”
On jobs, Jassy noted that “I think you’ll see we will always have a lot of teammates in our fulfillment centers, but I think a lot of the jobs that we have that are more repetitive, that we have humans doing, will be done by robots.” However, the Amazon chief did not disclose how many jobs are affected or provide a timeline.
In addition, Jassy said that Amazon decides where to deploy robots by asking, “Does it lead to comparable or better productivity, safety, cost structure, and time to delivery?” He added that new fulfillment designs, including its same-day facilities, are “very heavy on robotics.”
However, on the current impact, Jassy said, “We think it’s small compared to what it’s going to be in the next five years.”
CFO Brian Olsavsky said Amazon doubled its fleet of robotic arms such as Cardinal and Sparrow in 2026. Olsavsky noted that Amazon is also developing robotics foundation models, with the goal of “delivering useful robotics at scale.”
Amazon posted third-quarter revenue of $201.94 billion, missing the consensus estimate of $202.31 billion, according to Benzinga Pro. The company reported earnings of $1.89 per share for the quarter, missing estimates of $1.97 per share. Shares of Amazon fell 7.30% to $225.99 after hours on Thursday. Year-to-date, the stock has risen 5.62%.
Robots, AI and the Future of Work
Earlier this year, Amazon reportedly laid off about 100 employees in its robotics organization. The team was responsible for building machines and automated systems used primarily in warehouse operations.
Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) Co-founder Bill Gates believes AI could transform the job market so extensively that governments will struggle to fund support for people displaced by technology — even as the economy becomes more prosperous. “The incentive structure [in business] is wrong: It’s hire the robot, fire the human and don’t look back,” said Gates.
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