I interviewed for an SDM position at Amazon and made it through the first round with Hiring Manager. I was also given a written evaluation for the following round, which I completed. I had a call with the recruiter to prepare for the next rounds. I was scheduled for the next five rounds of interviews in the coming weeks. Now I've received an email from the recruiter stating that they have a hiring pause and will resume with the remaining rounds once the hiring pause is lifted.

Has anyone else encountered anything similar? Can we rely on them to keep their promises?

I understand that many companies have a hiring freeze between November and December. Is this common in Amazon as well?