In partnership with
./j JOBLESS WEEKLY · November 6, 2026
Hey everyone,
Amazon confirmed about 16,000 corporate job cuts on Jan 28, per Fox 9. This morning, the new-grad and internship feeds we track list 50 open US entry-level software and AI roles at Amazon.
Both are true because Amazon is moving money, not just cutting it: $175.7 billion of capex in nine months (10-Q), up from $92.3 billion, with AWS growing 39% in Q3.
So we did what the layoff headline never does: looked at what is still being hired for, and counted the skills in 113 new-grad software postings.
// THE SHORT VERSION
What happened: Amazon cut ~16,000 corporate jobs in January, then reported AWS up 39% on Oct 29 while capex roughly doubled.
Why you care: Cuts and hiring are happening in the same company. The open entry-level roles cluster around cloud, chips (Annapurna Labs), robotics and satellites (Leo).
What to do: Build one Python project on AWS, with a cost alarm. Python, AWS and AI terms are the most common asks in the new-grad postings we counted.
// BY THE NUMBERS
50
open US entry-level software/AI roles at Amazon: 23 new-grad, 27 intern
63%
of 113 new-grad software postings mention AI, LLMs or ML
27%
of them mention AWS. Python shows up in 62%
Source: SimplifyJobs New-Grad and Summer 2027 Internship feeds, pulled Nov 2, 2026; skills from 113 Greenhouse-hosted new-grad software postings. Capex: Amazon 10-Q (SEC)
Amazon Cut 16,000 Jobs and Is Still Hiring Engineers. Here Is What For.
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The layoff: Amazon cut about 16,000 corporate roles, confirmed Jan 28, per Fox 9.
The money: $175.7B spent on property and equipment in nine months vs $92.3B a year earlier, per Amazon's 10-Q.
The payoff: AWS sales of $46.0B (+39.3%) and $17.8B of Amazon's $28.1B operating profit, per sec-api.io.
The cuts and the spending are the same strategy.
What Amazon is still hiring for
23 new-grad and 27 intern US software and AI roles are open, per the SimplifyJobs feeds (pulled Nov 2).
Titles: Software Development Engineer, Front-End Engineer, Annapurna Labs (Amazon's chip team), Robotics, Amazon Leo (satellite internet).
Read it as a map: the entry-level openings sit in cloud, chips, robotics and satellites, where the $175.7B is going.
What 113 new-grad software postings ask for
AI/LLM/ML: 63%
Python: 62%
C++: 40%, REST APIs: 34%
AWS: 27%, TypeScript: 26%, React: 26%, Java: 25%
Docker/Kubernetes: 16%, SQL: 13%
Caveat: a keyword count in one sample, and "AI" can be boilerplate. The common core is Python plus one cloud plus something AI-adjacent.
Where this leaves you
Recent-grad unemployment is 5.6%, per the NY Fed.
The feed has 3,105 active new-grad listings and 177 US software, AI and data roles posted in the last 7 days. There are doors, just not the ones the layoff headline points at.
✕ WHAT MOST CS STUDENTS DO
Apply to every "software engineer" posting and hope.
✓ WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS
Pick the 10 postings at one company, copy the repeated skills, build one project that hits them, then apply.
The layoff tells you who left. The job posting tells you what the company is betting on.
Three things you can steal
1
Read the posting like data.
One posting is a wish list. Ten postings from one company show the stack they actually want.
2
Follow the cuts to the hiring.
When a company lays off, check its open roles the same day. What it still hires for is where it is investing.
3
Python plus one cloud.
In 113 new-grad software postings, Python showed up in 62% and AWS in 27%. A deployed project beats a line on a resume.
Quick answers
Is Amazon still hiring after its layoffs?
Yes. Amazon confirmed about 16,000 corporate cuts on Jan 28, per Fox 9, yet the SimplifyJobs feeds listed 23 new-grad and 27 intern US software and AI roles at Amazon on Nov 2, 2026.
What skills do new-grad software jobs ask for in 2026?
In 113 Greenhouse-hosted new-grad software postings from the SimplifyJobs feed (Nov 2, 2026), 63% mentioned AI, LLMs or ML, 62% Python, 40% C++, and 27% AWS.
How much did Amazon spend on capex in 2026?
Amazon's 10-Q shows $175.7 billion of cash spent on property and equipment in the first nine months of 2026, versus $92.3 billion a year earlier.
The market, minus the sugarcoating
// THE MARKET
5.6%
unemployment for recent college grads, 2026 Q2
177
US software/AI/data new-grad roles posted in the last 7 days
Source: NY Fed, College Labor Market, 2026 Q2; SimplifyJobs New-Grad feed, Nov 2, 2026
Grad unemployment is still elevated, but new-grad listings keep coming. Counts are from the community feed, not every job in the US.
// YOUR MOVE · THIS WEEKEND, ~3 HOURS
Build the stack the postings keep asking for, and cap the bill.
Pick one Amazon, Meta or Microsoft new-grad posting. Highlight every tool it names.
Build a small Python app and deploy it on AWS free tier. Set a billing alarm first.
Write a README: what it does, what 1,000 users would cost, what you would monitor. The cost estimate is your interview story.
Then hit reply with the repo link.
// ROLES OF THE WEEK
Fresh this week. Every link was checked live.
Northrop Grumman
Associate Software Engineer
Huntsville, AL · New grad
Amazon
Software Engineer Intern - Machine Learning/Automated Reasoning
Boston, MA · Internship
Huntington Ingalls Industries
Software Engineer 1
Newport News, VA · New grad
FC Cincinnati
Data Analyst Intern
Cincinnati, OH · Internship
// MORE FROM JOBLESS
Layoff headlines tell you who left. Job postings tell you where the money went. This week, read ten postings from one company, build the overlap, and send me the repo.
// SUPPORT JOBLESS
Forward this to one friend who's grinding applications.
Hang out with us at r/joblessCSMajors.
Every role on one page: jobs.joblessnews.com.
Until next time,
Team Jobless
