Amazon and Salesforce announced they are eliminating thousands of jobs in the coming weeks, becoming the latest tech firms to do so citing the economic downturn.

Both companies announced the layoffs Wednesday, with Amazon stating 18,000 positions will be cut and Salesforce, a U.S. cloud-based software firm, stating its workforce would be reduced by 10%, representing some 7,000 jobs.

The announcements come as several tech companies have made the decision to eliminate thousands of positions following rapid expansion during the pandemic boom.

Facebook's parent Meta announced in November that it would be laying off more than 11, 000 workers. And Twitter commenced layoffs following the platform's acquisition by Elon Musk.

Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy announced the cuts in a message to employees on Wednesday, nearly two months after he said in November that thousands of positions would be eliminated throughout the new year.

Jassy said that they generally like to speak with those affected by the cuts before making them public but decided to make the announcement after it was leaked to The Wall Street Journal, which was the first to report on the cuts Tuesday.

Jassy said the cuts come amid an uncertain economy and after Amazon hired rapidly over the last few years and that this decision prioritizes the long-term health of the company.

"Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so. These changes will help us pursue our long-term opportunities with a stronger cost structure; however, I'm also optimistic that we'll be inventive, resourceful and scrappy in this time when we're not hiring expansively and eliminating some roles," he said.

Salesforce co-chief executive Mark Benioff warned employees of the impeding cuts in a letter Wednesday issued hours before the first eliminations would occur.

"I've been thinking a lot about how we came to this moment," he said. "As our revenue accelerated through the pandemic, we hired too many people leading into this economic downturn we're now facing, and I take responsibility for that."

He added that the decision to cut jobs comes amid an economic environment that "remains challenging" and as customers "are taking a more measured approach to their purchasing decisions."

Jassy said affected Amazon employees will be contacted starting Jan. 18.

Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent., source US Top News