Amazon contacts former employees about AI and cloud roles

Amazon is contacting former employees, including some who were laid off, about open positions in artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing, according to recruiter emails described in reports and comments from a company spokesperson. The outreach includes an expedited interview process in at least one case, but Amazon has not disclosed how many people were contacted or hired. The emails show recruiters approaching former staff with relevant experience about roles in Amazon’s AI and cloud businesses. One recruiter described the effort as the Swamis Boomerang Reengagement Initiative. A separate recruiter from AWS Finance offered a former employee a shortened interview process that could lead to an offer. That recruiter also asked whether Amazon’s return-to-office requirements had influenced the person’s decision to leave; the person was not identified as having been laid off. Amazon spokesperson Haley Silva said rehiring former employees is a longstanding practice across the company, not a new program created specifically for AI or cloud roles.