Key Points:
- Apple has cut dozens of jobs across its global sales teams in a rare organizational restructuring.
- Impacted roles include account managers for major businesses, schools, and U.S. government agencies.
- The company says the layoffs aim to strengthen customer engagement, and affected employees may apply for other internal roles.
Apple Cuts Sales Roles as Part of Strategic Shift in Customer Engagement
Apple has eliminated a limited number of positions within its global sales division, marking one of the company’s few notable workforce reductions in recent years. The company confirmed the move on Monday, emphasizing that the layoffs impact only a small portion of the sales organization and are part of a broader effort to refine how it connects with customers across commercial and government markets.
According to statements provided to multiple outlets, the restructuring affects employees responsible for handling major enterprise accounts, educational institutions, and government agencies. Bloomberg reported that staff overseeing Apple’s briefing centers—where institutional clients receive product demonstrations and participate in high-level meetings—were also included in the cuts.
Apple, which continues to hire in other areas, stressed that affected workers are encouraged to apply for new roles within the company. “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” a spokesperson said. “We are continuing to hire and those employees can apply for new roles.”
The layoffs surprised many employees, especially because Apple has avoided sweeping job cuts even as rivals like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet have undergone repeated rounds of downsizing. The timing also stands out: Apple is on pace to post nearly $140 billion in revenue for the December quarter, one of its strongest performances on record.
Government Sales Teams Among Most Impacted
One of the hardest-hit groups was Apple’s government sales team, which works directly with U.S. federal agencies, including the Defense Department and the Justice Department. According to Bloomberg, these teams had already been navigating a challenging environment, compounded by a 43-day government shutdown and spending constraints introduced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The company did not specify how many positions were eliminated, though sources familiar with the matter indicated the job cuts span multiple layers of the global sales organization.
The restructuring underscores Apple’s push to streamline the way it supports institutional customers and to boost efficiency in a rapidly evolving enterprise market. While the company has not detailed what new organizational structure will replace the eliminated roles, it emphasized that the changes are designed to strengthen—not shrink—its overall customer engagement strategy.
Despite the layoffs, Apple maintains strong financial footing and continues expanding teams in other divisions, reflecting its selective and strategic approach to staffing. For now, affected employees await clarity on internal reapplication processes as Apple reshapes how it markets and delivers its products to large organizations around the world.