On the morning of February 6, 2026, Amazon’s internal organizational chart revealed a surprise addition: Chris Hemsworth, the Australian actor best known for his role as Thor, was listed as “Chief Heartthrob” for Alexa Devices, reporting directly to CEO Andy Jassy. According to Reuters, Hemsworth, 42, was not only given an official Amazon email address but also named a “bar raiser”—a coveted internal designation for employees who help with hiring across the company. The timing wasn’t random; this was all part of a high-profile stunt to promote Amazon’s latest Super Bowl advertisement, which spotlighted Alexa’s evolving artificial intelligence capabilities.
The ad itself, which aired during the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026, took a tongue-in-cheek approach. In it, Hemsworth imagines a series of outlandish scenarios where a sentient Alexa AI causes his demise: from being crushed by his garage door, to drowning in his pool, to wrestling a bear unleashed by the digital assistant. The commercial wraps up with Alexa’s voice reassuring Hemsworth—and viewers—that it’s still a force for good. This playful tone was echoed in a quote attributed to Hemsworth on the Amazon chart: “When I’m not starring in movies, I enjoy spending time with my family, campaigning for Ad Meter votes, snake wrangling, bear wrestling, hammer throwing and a nice cinnamon scrub.”
Amazon’s decision to feature Hemsworth in both its Super Bowl ad and internal communications was a calculated move. After all, companies shell out massive sums for airtime during the annual football championship, with this year’s 30-second slots reportedly costing around $8 million. Amazon’s rivals in the AI space, Anthropic and OpenAI, also joined the fray, each airing their own commercials during the big game.
Yet, behind the scenes, the mood among Amazon employees was far less festive. The internal stunt—meant to be a lighthearted “Easter egg” in the run-up to the Super Bowl—landed awkwardly amid a wave of painful corporate layoffs. Just the week prior, Amazon had laid off 16,000 corporate workers, including many from the Alexa division. The Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also began cutting a third of its staff on February 5, 2026. These sweeping job losses, coupled with a disappointing fourth-quarter earnings report and a slumping stock price, left many workers feeling disillusioned.
Some employees didn’t hold back on internal social media forums. As reported by Reuters, one wrote, “This definitely makes up for the hollow feeling of cleaning out my peer’s desk and meeting him out front with his boxes given he was laid off last week.” Another added, “It’s less of a joke than it is an insult to the rest of us.” The general sentiment was clear: while Amazon’s leadership aimed for levity and buzz, many inside the company saw the move as tone deaf and insensitive to those affected by the layoffs.
When pressed for comment, an Amazon spokesperson described the appearance of Hemsworth on the org chart as “a fun internal Easter egg as we head into the Big Game this weekend.” The spokesperson declined to address the concerns raised by employees. Representatives for Hemsworth did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.
Adding to the spectacle, Hemsworth’s internal Amazon profile was quickly adorned with nearly 500 digital badges from employees, each reflecting humorous or quirky traits such as “flan enthusiast,” “CPR instructor,” and “proficient in Mandarin.” It was a brief moment of levity in an otherwise tense atmosphere. But by late February 6, Hemsworth’s org chart status had changed again—he was now reporting to the head of devices and services, rather than directly to CEO Andy Jassy. The demotion, if it can be called that, seemed to signal the end of the joke.
Outside of the marketing theatrics, Amazon used the Super Bowl spotlight to announce a significant update to its Alexa service. The company revealed that its new Alexa+ offering, powered by generative AI, would become available to all Prime members in the week of February 6, 2026. Alexa, first launched over a decade ago, has long struggled to turn a profit for Amazon. The tech giant is now investing heavily in artificial intelligence, hoping that a major overhaul can finally make Alexa a revenue generator rather than a loss leader.
Alexa’s revamp is part of a broader trend among technology companies racing to integrate generative AI into consumer products and services. Amazon’s competitors, including Anthropic and OpenAI, have also ramped up their advertising and product development efforts, especially as the public’s fascination with AI grows. The Super Bowl, with its massive viewership, offered the perfect stage for these companies to showcase their latest innovations—and, in Amazon’s case, to inject a bit of Hollywood star power into the mix.
But for many Amazon employees, the juxtaposition of glitzy marketing campaigns and mass layoffs was hard to stomach. The company’s internal culture, often lauded for its relentless pursuit of innovation, has been tested by repeated rounds of job cuts and shifting priorities. The Alexa division, once seen as a crown jewel of Amazon’s hardware and software ecosystem, has faced particular scrutiny as the company seeks to cut costs and refocus its investments.
According to Reuters, the use of high-profile stunts like Hemsworth’s “Chief Heartthrob” role may provide a momentary distraction, but it also risks alienating the very workforce Amazon relies on to build its future. The backlash from employees highlights a growing disconnect between leadership’s public messaging and the day-to-day realities faced by staff, especially those who have lost colleagues or fear for their own jobs.
Meanwhile, Amazon’s leadership remains committed to its AI ambitions. The rollout of Alexa+ and the renewed push to make Alexa profitable are seen as critical to the company’s long-term strategy. Whether the combination of celebrity endorsements, Super Bowl ads, and generative AI will be enough to turn the tide remains to be seen.
One thing is certain: the events of early February 2026 have left a mark on Amazon’s internal culture and public image. The “Chief Heartthrob” stunt may have been intended as a bit of harmless fun, but it has also sparked a serious conversation about corporate priorities, employee morale, and the challenges of navigating change in the tech industry. As Amazon looks ahead, it will need more than clever marketing to win back the trust and enthusiasm of its workforce.