Apple has been quietly laying off staff.

Internet behemoths frequently unveil layoff plans impacting thousands, even tens of thousands, of employees, making cost-cutting and efficiency enhancements seem like the norm in the industry.

Yet, amidst these 'layoff leaders,' Apple has consistently stood out as a beacon of stability. It has rarely made headlines with company-wide, high-profile layoffs.

However, the recent surge in news has left many astounded. Has Apple truly embarked on a stealthy employee cull?

In total, more than 400 positions have been eliminated, spanning four key sectors: AI, mixed reality, hardware management, and sales.

First, let's set the stage. On September 1st of this year, Apple completed a significant leadership transition. Tim Cook, who had helmed the company for over a decade, stepped aside to become Executive Chairman, while John Ternus, a key executive previously in charge of hardware engineering, assumed the role of Apple's new CEO. This months-long staff realignment essentially marks Ternus's 'inaugural major move' since taking the helm.

Image Source: Doubao AI

The initial wave of adjustments commenced discreetly as early as August this year. According to reports from Gulf News and The Economic Times, Apple slashed around 200 positions at once, primarily concentrated in two departments: the Visual Products Group, responsible for products like Vision Pro, and the Siri and related software teams.

This staff reduction mirrors Apple's fresh evaluation of the priority levels of these two business segments.

In October, official documents also substantiated some of the layoff details. Mercury News revealed Apple's submission to the California WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) registry, which documented 147 permanent departures in black and white. Among them, 79 positions were at Apple Park, the company's headquarters in Cupertino, with the remaining 68 scattered across two office locations in Sunnyvale. The official departure dates for these employees were October 19th and 20th, 2026.

It's crucial to highlight here that the figure of over 400 positions being cut, which is circulating online, is actually an estimate compiled by various media outlets from multiple sources and is not an official figure released by Apple. Currently, the only confirmed number through official government documents is the 147 positions listed in the California WARN registry.

Image Source: Doubao AI

According to Yahoo Finance, Apple had initially planned a much grander move, intending to replace approximately 5,000 AppleCare technical support staff with AI-powered customer service agents. What do 5,000 people represent? It's more than tenfold the number of positions cut in this current wave, and if executed, it would undoubtedly mark a significant shift in Apple's human resources history. However, dramatically, this plan has reportedly been put on hold indefinitely.

Of course, Apple hasn't entirely shied away from AI customer service. Currently, some users in the United States and Canada who dial Apple's support hotline can already experience AI-assisted customer service. However, Apple has not yet publicly announced any large-scale replacement of human customer service agents with AI.

Why was a seemingly well-conceived initiative put on hold? It could be that the processing capabilities of AI customer service have not yet met Apple's stringent standards, fearing a tarnish to its reputation for service quality. Alternatively, it might be to avert backlash from both the public and employees, as the elimination of thousands of positions would carry significant social repercussions.

Currently, there are two diametrically opposed interpretations within the industry regarding Apple's overall adjustments.

One perspective posits that new CEO Ternus is streamlining the company's management by flattening redundant intermediate levels, cutting some management positions, and then concentrating human resources and budgets fully on the AI sector.

Image Source: Doubao AI

Another viewpoint suggests that the staff reductions in the Vision and Siri teams are essentially adjustments in project priorities and have little to do with cost-cutting and efficiency enhancements. In simpler terms, some projects that are progressing slowly or do not align with the new strategic direction have been canceled.

Based on the currently disclosed information, both interpretations hold water, and it's impossible to ascertain which one is the definitive answer.

Nevertheless, having said that, this wave of adjustments is likely just the prologue. The true determinant of Apple's future human resources direction is the temporarily shelved AppleCare AI replacement plan.

If this plan is restarted in the future, it would signal that Apple is genuinely committed to leveraging AI to overhaul its internal human resources system. Because in the face of the AI wave, no major company can truly remain unscathed.

How will Apple navigate its AI journey next? Will it proceed with caution and iterate gradually, or will it embark on a sweeping transformation? Let's wait and see.

This article is compiled by Leikeji from gadgetreview

Original Link: Over 400 Jobs Slashed! Apple Trims Down Traditional Operations as New CEO Sets Sights on AI

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