Also Apple start i layoffs: The company would be laying off some of its employees who work in the retail sector, according to Bloomberg. These employees are responsible for designing and maintaining Apple stores around the world.
Apple, a “small number” of layoffs in the retail sector
It is not known exactly how many employees Apple is laying off, but Bloomberg says they are ‘probably very few’. This is the first time we’ve heard of Apple cutting its internal workforce to save money. In June 2022, Apple fired about 100 hiring contractors, but contractors are not employed full time. Apple also eliminated some engineers and security guards who worked as contractors.
Apple has explained to employees that it is not about layoffs, but about optimization and that the changes are aimed at improve the management of shops worldwide. Employees who have been affected have the option to re-apply for roles similar to their previous job and those who do not find a new role may receive up to four months’ salary.
Apple in November has fhiring for most roles outside R&D. In addition, in March of this year, Apple extended its hiring ban. For many teams, Apple has stopped hiring, and when employees leave, positions are left empty. The slowdown in hiring has allowed Apple to avoid the mass layoffs that other tech companies have made in recent months.
Twitter it cut thousands of employees after being bought by Elon Musk and last month Facebook announced plans to lay off around 10,000 employees. Microsoft cut its AI ethics team in March after several rounds of prior layoffs and the parent company of Google Alphabet fired 12,000 employees.
Apple’s example therefore remains fundamentally different from the rest of Silicon Valley. But the fact that he’s being fired for the first time is news. Hoping it doesn’t trend.