Apple breaks layoff shield with targeted cuts to global sales teams amid mounting cost pressures

Apple has begun cutting jobs across its global sales organization, marking a rare move by the tech giant that has largely stayed away from the mass layoffs that rocked Silicon Valley this year.

The reductions, confirmed recently through a Reuters report, are part of a restructuring strategy aimed at “improving engagement with customers,” the company said.

According to people familiar with the development, only a small fraction of Apple’s workforce is impacted, and the company continues to hire in other strategic areas. Employees affected by the changes have been offered the opportunity to apply for internal positions.

Bloomberg, which first broke the news, reported that the layoffs have hit account managers handling major business clients, educational institutions, and government agencies, along with staff working at Apple’s briefing centres — spaces that host private product showcases for enterprise customers.

One of the hardest-hit divisions is Apple’s government sales team, which liaises with agencies including the US Department of Defense and the Department of Justice. The segment was already struggling with contracting demand following a 43-day federal shutdown and budget reductions introduced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Bloomberg said.

Apple did not disclose the number of jobs affected or the regions impacted.

The move comes as a wave of fresh layoffs sweeps through major US corporations. Verizon, Synopsys, IBM and several others have recently announced workforce reductions amid slower growth forecasts and tightening IT budgets.

Although Apple continues to avoid mass job cuts on the scale of its Big Tech counterparts, the latest move underscores mounting pressure on even the strongest tech companies to streamline operations and control spending in an uncertain economic climate.