Amazon has cut up to 250 jobs in its devices and services unit, Reuters reported. The unit makes Kindle e-readers, Echo speakers and other hardware that runs Amazon's Alexa assistant.

The cuts mainly affected software developers, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Staff were told by text message and email early on Wednesday morning.

Amazon confirmed the cuts after Reuters asked about them, but did not give a number.

“We've made the difficult decision to eliminate a small number of roles,” an Amazon spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the move would help the company run more efficiently and better match its product plans. In a message seen by Reuters, Cherie Robinson, an HR vice president, said the company had carried out a thorough review of its structure.

The cuts come shortly after a busy run of launches for the unit. Amazon released new Kindle e-readers and tablets in recent weeks, and on Wednesday it announced an alarm clock and a photo frame that both run its Alexa assistant.

Earlier this month, Amazon also cut fewer than 1,000 office jobs in the US, India and the UK in its retail division, which runs its main online store. Business Insider first reported those cuts, which hit teams including customer service and marketplace support.

Those reductions add to a long series of layoffs. Amazon has cut more than 57,000 corporate jobs since 2022, about 16% of its corporate workforce. Those include about 16,000 in January this year and more than 14,000 in the months before that.

The office cuts sit alongside heavy hiring in its warehouses. Amazon said this month that it plans to hire more than 300,000 US workers for the holiday season, up from 250,000 last year, mostly in its warehouse and delivery network.

Amazon is due to report its third-quarter results after the US stock market closes on Thursday.