Amazon is reportedly planning a sweeping automation overhaul, aiming to replace approximately 500,000 employees with robots by 2033, according to leaked internal documents cited in a recent report. The company’s robotics team is targeting 75% automation of its operations, a move projected to eliminate the need for 160,000 additional hires by 2027. This ambitious strategy could save Amazon $12.6 billion and reduce delivery costs by 30 cents per product, offering significant financial benefits. However, the plan has sparked concerns about its impact on the workforce and Amazon’s public image.

To mitigate potential backlash, the documents suggest Amazon is exploring strategies to soften the narrative around automation. The company is reportedly considering avoiding terms like “AI” and “automation,” opting instead for phrases such as “advanced technology” and “co-bots” to imply collaboration between robots and human workers. Additionally, Amazon is contemplating participation in community projects to bolster its brand image amid the transition. These measures reflect a calculated effort to navigate public and employee reactions to the large-scale adoption of robotics.

Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel, however, downplayed the documents’ significance, stating they represent the perspective of a single team rather than the company’s official stance. Speaking to The Verge, Nantel explained, “Leaked documents often paint an incomplete and misleading picture of our plans... In our written narrative culture, thousands of documents circulate throughout the company at any given time, each with varying degrees of accuracy and timeliness.” She emphasized Amazon’s ongoing recruitment efforts, noting plans to fill 250,000 positions across U.S. facilities for the upcoming holiday season.

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If implemented, the automation plan could reshape Amazon’s operational model, prioritizing efficiency and cost savings in a highly competitive market. While the financial incentives are clear, the potential displacement of hundreds of thousands of workers raises ethical and economic questions. As Amazon balances its technological ambitions with its public image, the coming years will reveal whether its “co-bot” narrative can ease the transition or if the push for automation will ignite broader debates about the future of work.

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