Corporate layoff announcements have developed a consistent grammar: AI is named as a structural force, headcount reduction follows as a logical response, and the actual causes — overhiring during the pandemic growth years, rising cost of capital, shareholder pressure returning after a brief pause — go unmentioned. Amazon's cut of 14,000 corporate positions [13][14] exemplifies the form. The announcement invoked AI efficiency. The context, documented across multiple outlets [15], was a company that had expanded aggressively and was contracting on a schedule that had more to do with macroeconomic correction…