Amazon’s latest proxy disclosure underscores the growing imbalance between workforce reductions and executive compensation. Despite eliminating roughly 30,000 roles since October, CEO Andy Jassy’s total pay reached $2.1 million in the past year, marking an increase of about 30 percent from 2024.
Amazon’s newly published proxy statement outlines Andy Jassy’s 2025 compensation. The CEO drew a base salary of $365,000, while business travel and security-related costs added another $1.7 million, bringing the total to around $2.1 million.
Outside of base compensation, Jassy recorded $43 million in stock awards that vested in 2025. He also retained approximately $242 million in unvested restricted stock at year’s end.
Year-over-year, Jassy’s total compensation moved higher. In 2024, his base salary remained $365,000, with security and travel costs adding $1.1 million and pushing total pay to roughly $1.6 million. He also retained more than $274 million in restricted Amazon stock at the close of 2024.
During his first year as CEO in 2021, Jassy was granted a stock award from Amazon. That award, the most recent he has received, brought his total compensation for the year to more than $200 million.
Huge pay gaps between CEOs and frontline employees are nothing new. At Amazon, however, the contrast stands out as the company carries out significant and painful workforce reductions.
Since January 1, 2025, Amazon has eliminated at least 30,400 positions, roughly 10 percent of its white-collar workforce. The cuts have even reached the company’s robotics division, which many expect to eventually reduce reliance on warehouse labor.
Artificial intelligence has been a major focus in discussions about the layoffs. Amazon has partly attributed the cuts to AI-driven efficiency, while also framing them as part of a broader effort to remove layers, reduce bureaucracy, and streamline the company.
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