Donna Rosenstein, the head of casting for series at Amazon MGM Studios, is leaving the company, TheWrap has learned. Rosenstein was one of the reported 14,000 layoffs the company announced were happening Tuesday.
The casting director and executive had been with the tech and entertainment giant for 10 years and was the first casting executive hired at the studio. She was integral in creating, building and establishing Amazon MGM Studios’ worldwide casting department. Rosenstein also led casting for some of Amazon’s biggest shows, including “The Boys,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Reacher,” and led the teams that discovered Alan Ritchman for “Reacher” and Rachel Brosnahan for “Maisel.”
Amazon blamed grappling with “this generation of AI” as the reason for the mass layoffs. In a note to staff, the company’s Senior Vice President of People Experience and Technology Beth Galetti noted that Amazon’s business results were strong and the company plans on hiring in key areas where the company plans to expand. But the note also said Amazon needs to move faster to keep up with AI.
“We’re convicted that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business,” Galetti wrote.
The 14,000 layoffs won’t take place all at once and may even continue into 2026. Amazon will give most staffers 90 days to find a new role within the company, but others will be given a severance and benefits package. The cuts are expected to take place throughout the company’s workforce. As massive as the layoffs are, they’re far less that the 30,000 figure that was initially reported.
