Qualcomm to cut jobs worldwide following annual staff reviews
Chief executive Cristiano Amon told employees the performance-focused layoffs will start in November as the chipmaker shifts focus toward AI.
Qualcomm announces worldwide performance-focused layoffs
Qualcomm is preparing to reduce its global workforce through targeted performance-focused layoffs following its latest annual employee reviews, chief executive Cristiano Amon confirmed in an internal staff memo.
Notifications to affected staff will begin in November. While the memo did not disclose how many roles will be cut, the smartphone chipmaker employed roughly 52,000 people globally as of September last year, mostly in full-time positions.
Refocusing the workforce on strategic priorities
In the memo, Amon told staff that the job cuts form part of an effort to establish "a stronger performance culture" and address areas where the company "has consistently fallen short of expectations."
"As we have expanded the business, so have the competencies and skills we require," Amon wrote to employees. "We must have the right people in the right roles so they can perform at their best and the company can continue to succeed."
Management will evaluate business priorities, organisational needs, and individual technical skills when deciding where to trim roles. The restructuring arrives during a wider slowdown in consumer electronics sales, where high memory costs have suppressed handset purchases across key international markets.
Market performance and pivot toward AI
Qualcomm has lagged significantly behind its technology peers on Wall Street this year. Demand for smartphone chips has slowed, prompting the company to redirect capital toward higher-growth areas such as artificial intelligence data centres.
| Index or asset | 2026 Performance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm shares | +1.5% | Stock market data |
| S&P 500 Index | >12% | Stock market data |
| Philadelphia Semiconductor Index | ~60% | Stock market data |
In its quarterly earnings release in late July, Qualcomm forecast profit below market estimates and warned that sales from Apple devices will decline faster than expected. However, executive leadership projects that revenue from non-smartphone businesses, including AI data centres, will offset mobile losses and make up the majority of overall chip sales by fiscal 2027.
What happens next
Notifications will roll out to impacted workers globally starting in November. Qualcomm has not publicly disclosed specific department targets or regional breakdowns for the upcoming workforce reductions.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm total global headcount | Approximately 52,000 | Qualcomm internal records / company reports |
| Qualcomm 2026 stock growth | 1.5% | Market data |
| Philadelphia Semiconductor Index 2026 growth | Nearly 60% | Market data |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Cristiano Amon | Chief Executive Officer of Qualcomm who sent the internal staff memo. |
| Qualcomm | Semiconductor company conducting global job cuts. |
