The past couple of years have seen a terrible trend of layoffs and “downsizing” hit a lot of major and smaller companies. Google, Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet and Tesla are just some of the major companies that have let go of thousands of people since 2023 began. But now it seems like Apple is keen to be featured on that list as well.
Let’s get one thing out of the way: yes, Apple isn’t even close to hitting the layoff figures of those other companies mentioned above. But, for a company often heralded for barely any layoffs, Apple has really taken things up a notch.
Just now is the fourth time this year that Apple is laying off staff according to Bloomberg’s Apple insider Mark Gurman. Around 100 positions have been eliminated this week in the “services division”. Most affected from these layoffs was the team managing Apple Books. Apple News also saw some layoffs, with the company planning increased subscription prices and in-app advertisement according to Gurman.
iPhones continue to smash records, though. So those jobs are probably safe for now. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Previous layoffs at Apple this year include the people working on Apple Car, the micro-LED projects and the employees who refused to relocate. Last year we also saw Apple letting go of retail employees. As I said above, these figures are far less than other companies, perhaps because Apple CEO Tim Cook considers layoffs a last resort.
And though keeping around hundreds of “redundant” employees is different than a handful of senior ones, one can’t help but wonder about the contrast. Because, if you didn’t know, Apple prefers to keep senior employees who barely work on payroll just to not alarm the shareholders.
Gurman says these layoffs are a sign of Apple beginning to focus on other priorities. I guess some of these new priorities include the company’s foray into XR (Extended Reality) with Apple Vision Pro. Another priority is most definitely Apple Intelligence. But it’s always a downer to hear about mass layoffs.
If there’s any silver lining, though, it’s that those employees have a pretty enviable resume now.
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Abdullah is an ardent believer in the future of VR, and can't wait to see what more it brings to the table as technology improves. He enjoys covering new software releases in the XR industry, as well as major news about hardware and companies focused on VR.
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