American Express Cuts 5% of Workforce to Prepare for AI Transformation

American Express has announced it will cut 5% of its global workforce and incur a $336 million restructuring charge to flatten organizational layers and prepare for AI to take over internal processes. The company employed nearly 77,000 people as of the end of 2025, with management stating that organizational workflows must be streamlined before automation can be deployed. The CEO also stressed that external AI agents will only be permitted to access internal systems via vetted APIs or MCP channels to prevent them from operating unchecked.