Apple Slashes Global Sales Positions to Streamline Operations
Apple Inc has announced the reduction of numerous positions as part of a significant reorganization of its sales division. According to the reports, the company is redefining its strategy for engaging with business, education, and government clients, resulting in the elimination of multiple positions within its global sales teams. Apple has informed the impacted employees in the last fortnight. The layoffs affected various segments of the sales organization, with certain teams experiencing a more significant impact than others. The reductions encompass account managers responsible for managing significant corporate, government, and educational clients, in addition to staff members operating Apple’s briefing centers, which serve as venues for hosting institutional clients and showcasing new products.
Apple has confirmed that the restructuring is currently in progress; however, specific figures have not been disclosed. “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” a spokesperson stated. “We are continuing to hire and those employees can apply for new roles.” The recent job cuts come on the heels of a previous round in Australia and New Zealand, where approximately 20 positions were eliminated. Employees who have been laid off are given until January 20 to secure a new role within Apple. Those who do not will depart the company with a severance package. Apple has posted multiple job openings on its careers website and encouraged impacted employees to submit their applications.
The company internally states that the decision aims to streamline the sales workforce and minimize overlapping responsibilities. However, some affected employees contend that the true aim is to transfer more sales activity to third-party resellers, referred to as “the channel,” in order to lower internal costs, reports says. Several long-serving staff members, including managers with 20 to 30 years at the company, are among those impacted. The government sales team, which collaborates with US agencies including the Department of Defence and the Department of Justice, is a significant area of reduction. Apple has a history of steering clear of extensive job reductions, with Cook stating that layoffs are a “last resort.” When the company eliminates roles, it frequently organizes them in a manner that circumvents the worker adjustment and retraining notifications, or WARN notices mandated by US labor law.
Throughout the broader technology sector, layoffs continue to be prevalent. Amazon Inc. has recently revealed intentions to eliminate over 14,000 positions, while Meta Platforms Inc. has also made cuts, shedding several hundred roles within its AI division. Amazon has revealed one of its most significant rounds of layoffs to date. A Reuters report states that the company has cut approximately 30,000 corporate positions as part of a strategy to lower expenses following significant hiring during the pandemic. Despite employing 1.55 million individuals globally, these reductions account for approximately 10 percent of its 350,000 corporate workforce. This marks the company’s most significant job reduction since the 27,000 layoffs that occurred in late 2022 and early 2023.
