Amazon Slows Seattle Hiring, Focuses On Technology, Not Retail
Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce company, is cutting back on hiring in Seattle and focusing on hiring for departments outside of its retail business.
The company's job postings in Seattle in June were the lowest in three years, The Seattle Times reports. Of those openings, 60% are in technology, particularly Amazon Web Services' cloud unit, Alexa and devices.
As the company seeks to find the home of its HQ2, with cities going all-out to attract that windfall, it is pivoting more toward web services. Growth in those areas is happening even as Amazon continues to push the retail space, driving more traditional retail giants to innovate.
Amazon's retail business is valued at $600B by Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Newark, with Amazon Web Services at $270B, Prime subscriptions at $70B and advertising at $55B, RetailDive reports. The company could be worth $1 trillion by the end of 2018.
