Media reports indicate that Apple has cut more than 400 jobs since August across artificial intelligence, mixed reality, device management, and sales divisions. These moves mark the first concrete restructuring actions under new CEO John Ternus, who succeeded Tim Cook in early September.
First restructuring under CEO John Ternus
Job cuts in Siri and Vision Pro teams first
Dismissals of engineering program managers and sales restructuring
Fate of AppleCare employees and changes in senior leadership
Frequently asked questions
First restructuring under CEO John Ternus
Repeated press reports have indicated that Apple has laid off more than 400 jobs since last August, distributed across artificial intelligence groups, mixed reality, device management, and sales teams. These measures represent the first visible restructuring steps under the leadership of John Ternus, who assumed the role of company CEO on September 1 when Tim Cook transitioned to executive chairman, according to reports by Gulf News and ETHRWorld. Apple has not officially announced a company-wide layoff program, nor has it confirmed the total reported figure, which remains well below 1% of its total workforce of approximately 166,000 employees. However, the figure of 400 jobs is disputed; Gadgets Now, a subsidiary of The Times of India, stated that the total stems from a single report and appears to double-count 147 layoff notices in California. When counting only confirmed figures from two or more sources, more than 200 specific jobs were identified, in addition to unannounced reductions in managerial positions.
Job cuts in Siri and Vision Pro teams first
The largest round of reductions occurred in August, when Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported the elimination of about 100 jobs in the Vision product group and another 100 jobs in the Siri voice assistant and related software teams. PCMag reported that the Vision Pro gaming team was largely shut down and the immersive video team was scaled back. An official notice filing in California showed 147 permanent job losses: 79 jobs at Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino and 68 jobs at two locations in Sunnyvale, with departure dates set for October 19 and 20. Affected roles included engineers in machine learning, computer vision, and augmented and virtual reality, according to TheStreet. At the time, Apple stated that it was creating new roles during the transition phase, but that this would affect “a limited number of existing roles,” affirming that it would help affected employees apply for other positions within the company, according to Gulf News. Apple informed employees that Vision Pro and visionOS will continue, with the strategic shift turning toward artificial intelligence and smart glasses, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Dismissals of engineering program managers and sales restructuring
In late September, Bloomberg reported that Apple’s hardware engineering department laid off several engineering program managers, including about 6 senior managers. Those affected were given a few weeks to find other jobs within Apple or face layoffs later this year, according to Yahoo Finance. The report noted that John Ternus wishes to reduce management layers and accelerate the pace of product launches. A subsequent report on October 21 also mentioned that a “restructuring” process affected jobs in the sales department without confirming the number of employees involved, according to Gadget Review.
Fate of AppleCare employees and changes in senior leadership
During the summer, Apple also considered the idea of replacing about 5,000 technical support employees in AppleCare with artificial intelligence agents, though this plan has currently been put on hold, according to Gadgets 360. Mark Gurman expects further reductions, and some employees anticipate additional cuts before the end of the current year or in early 2027, according to Gulf News. Senior leadership is experiencing parallel changes; long-serving display executives Yee Chang and John Chung, who each spent about 30 years at Apple, are moving into advisory roles, while Victor Yin takes over most of their executive duties, according to Apple System.
Frequently asked questions
Question: When did John Ternus assume the role of Apple CEO?
Answer: John Ternus assumed the role of CEO on September 1, 2026, following Tim Cook’s transition to executive chairman.
Question: What are the most prominent departments affected by job cuts at Apple?
Answer: The reductions included the Vision Pro headset teams, the Siri voice assistant, hardware engineering program managers, and the sales department.
Question: Did Apple replace AppleCare customer service employees with artificial intelligence?
Answer: The company considered replacing about 5,000 support employees with AI agents during the summer, but the plan has been put on hold for now.
