In an unexpected move, a strategic overhaul at Apple Inc. is underway, as several sales jobs get eliminated.
This move is aimed at streamlining the company’s approach to serving enterprises, schools and government agencies. The layoffs represent a rare workforce reduction for the tech giant, which historically avoids broad job cuts even during economic downturns.
Restructuring Hits Multiple Sales Teams
Over the past few weeks, Apple’s management quietly informed affected employees about the eliminations, according to people familiar with the matter. The cuts spanned across several units within the global sales division, leaving some teams more heavily impacted than others. Although Apple did not disclose the total number of roles affected, insiders noted that account managers and briefing center staff were among the hardest hit.
The eliminated roles included:
- Enterprise account managers handling major corporate clients
- Education sales specialists serving schools and universities
- Government account managers, including teams working with U.S. federal agencies
- Employees running Apple’s briefing centers, where product demos and executive meetings are held
In an official statement on November 24, the company acknowledged the restructuring effort.
“To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles. We are continuing to hire, and those employees can apply for new roles.” an Apple spokesperson said.
The job cuts came as a clear surprise to many internally, because Apple is currently experiencing its fastest revenue growth in years. The company is projected to generate close to $140 billion in revenue during the December quarter — the strongest quarter in Apple’s history.
The restructuring arrives at a time when Apple is also preparing to launch a new entry-level laptop in early 2026, a product designed to appeal to cost-conscious business and educational customers. The latest layoffs follow smaller cuts in Apple’s Australia and New Zealand sales units, where around 20 roles were eliminated weeks earlier.
Employees Given Deadline to Find New Roles
Affected employees have until January 20, 2026, to secure another job within Apple. Those who are unable to do so will be offered a severance package. The company has posted several new sales openings on its careers page, encouraging laid-off staff to reapply.
Internally, the Apple executives have portrayed this sudden shake-up as a move to remove overlapping responsibilities and create a more efficient sales structure. However, several employees believe the deeper motivation is a shift toward relying more heavily on third-party resellers, often referred to inside Apple as “the channel.”
Many organizations — especially schools and government agencies — prefer buying hardware through indirect sellers. By expanding this approach, Apple may reduce internal costs tied to salaries and sales operations. Some of the most experienced members of Apple’s sales workforce were part of the cuts, including employees with 20 – 30 years of service.
A particularly notable target was Apple’s government sales team, which works closely with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Justice. This team has been operating under difficult conditions following a 43-day U.S. government shutdown and budget cuts driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has pushed aggressive spending reductions across federal departments.
Apple’s entire sales organization reports directly to CEO Tim Cook and is overseen by Vice President Mike Fenger. Early this year, Fenger’s deputy, Vivek Thakkar, took responsibility for all enterprise and education sales — a shift that now appears connected to the restructuring.
Layoffs Unusual for Apple, Despite Past Cuts
Although Apple rarely issues WARN notices or conducts broad layoffs, the company has carried out targeted job reductions in the past. In 2024, Apple cut an unusually large number of employees after canceling several high-profile projects, including its decade-long self-driving car initiative and its in-house display development program. Some AI and services teams were also affected.
Across the broader technology landscape, layoffs are still widespread. Earlier this month, Amazon announced more than 14,000 job cuts, while Meta laid off several hundred employees in its AI division. By the looks of it, the employment scenario in the United States, and in other countries globally, looks rather gloomy and obscure.
Helene Elliott is the senior reporter for News Raise. She covers Science news. She also has a keen interest in photojournalism. Helene holds a nomination for the prestigious Red Smith Award. She is married to author Dennis D’Agostino, a former publicist with the New York Mets.
