Amazon India: Amazon announced on Thursday that, starting in August 2023, it will discontinue its edtech services in India and return all money to students registered in the current academic batch.

In order to assist students studying for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for engineering institutes, the e-commerce giant founded Amazon Academy in January 2022. The move gave it the opportunity to compete with leading edtech firms like Byju’s, Unacademy, Vedantu, and traditional educational institutions, as well as access the $180 billion online education market in the nation.

“Following an assessment, we have made the decision to discontinue Amazon Academy,” said an Amazon spokesperson. “We are winding down this program in a phased manner to take care of current customers.”

The current cohort would complete its test preparation module during the phased closure of Amazon Academy.

Customers will receive unlimited access to the whole course curriculum online until October 2024. Additionally, anyone registered in the current academic batch will receive a full refund from Amazon Academy.

“At Amazon, we think big, experiment, and invest in new ideas to delight customers,” said the Amazon spokesperson. “We also continually evaluate the progress and potential of our products and services to deliver customer value, and we regularly make adjustments based on those assessments.”

Amazon India

The Academy aims to provide high-quality, inexpensive education to all, beginning with students studying for the engineering entrance examination, according to Amol Gurwara, who was director of education at Amazon India, who stated this last year.

“Our mission is to help students achieve their outcomes while also empowering educators and content partners to reach millions of students,” Gurwara had said.

As part of the annual operating planning review process, Amazon is terminating its edtech service and making layoffs. The corporation did not, however, provide a breakdown of the employment that would be eliminated in India. The sources claim that efforts would be made to include as many as feasible into the various commercial divisions of the organisation. According to the sources, only those for whom it is impossible to find a good fit will be asked to go.

In a note to staff last week, chief executive officer Andy Jassy announced that Amazon will begin cutting employment globally in early 2023.