Amazon axes dozens of jobs in Israel after shutting down Halo program
Amazon axes dozens of jobs in Israel after shutting down Halo program
The tech behemoth said last month that it will lay off 9,000 more employees following an earlier round of layoffs that began in November which affected more than 18,000 staffers
Amazon is laying off dozens of its employees in Israel involved in the development of the Halo Band health bracelet. According to Amazon, the company develops both the Halo bracelet and Alexa in its offices in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The shutting down of the Halo program will lead to the layoff of all the employees involved in its development, as part of the global cutbacks. Amazon said last month that it will lay off 9,000 more employees following an earlier round of layoffs that began in November which affected more than 18,000 staffers. The company is estimated to employ more than 1,000 people in Israel.
“We have made the difficult decision to wind down the Halo program, which will result in role reductions,” Melissa Cha, Amazon’s VP of smart home and health, wrote in an email published by The Verge. “More recently, Halo has faced significant headwinds, including an increasingly crowded segment and an uncertain economic environment. Although our customers love many aspects of Halo, we must prioritize resources and maximize benefits to customers and the long-term health of the business.”
