Apple has eliminated dozens of sales roles across its enterprise division, marking one of the technology giant’s most significant workforce adjustments outside of major project cancellations.
The iPhone maker notified affected employees over the past two weeks, targeting positions that serve major institutional clients including businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. The cuts also impacted staff operating Apple’s briefing centres, specialised venues used for product demonstrations and high-level meetings with prospective corporate customers.
The move represents a strategic shift for a company that has historically avoided the mass layoffs that have characterised Silicon Valley throughout 2024 and 2025. Apple confirmed the restructuring but declined to specify the number of positions affected.
“To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” an Apple spokesperson stated. “We are continuing to hire and those employees can apply for new roles.”
Strategic Pivot Towards Third-Party Distribution
The restructuring reflects two interconnected objectives. Internally, Apple is positioning the changes as an effort to streamline operations and eliminate overlapping responsibilities within its sales organisation.
However, affected employees believe the cuts signal a broader strategic shift towards third-party resellers, known in the industry as “the channel”. By redirecting more institutional sales through external partners, Apple can reduce direct operational costs including salaries whilst maintaining market reach.
The approach allows organisations that prefer working with indirect sellers to do so, whilst Apple reduces its internal cost structure. This strategy appears particularly focused on complex institutional sales, where third-party partners often possess specialised expertise and established relationships.
Government Sales Team Hit Particularly Hard
The cuts extended across the sales organisation unevenly, with certain teams experiencing disproportionate impact. The government sales division, which manages relationships with powerful US federal agencies including the Defence Department and Justice Department, faced significant reductions.
This team was already navigating challenging conditions following a 43-day government shutdown. The timing compounds difficulties for a division already operating in an uncertain funding environment.
Long-standing employees bore the brunt of the changes, with some affected staff having served Apple for 20 to 30 years. The cuts included experienced account managers who had cultivated deep relationships with major clients over decades.
Pathway to Internal Reassignment
Apple has offered affected employees an opportunity to remain with the company. Staff have until late January to secure another position within Apple, after which those without new roles will receive severance packages.
The company emphasised it continues hiring across multiple divisions, framing the changes as workforce reallocation rather than overall headcount reduction.
Contrasts with Apple’s Traditional Approach
The restructuring is particularly notable given chief executive Tim Cook’s repeated statements characterising layoffs as a “last resort”. Apple has largely avoided the sweeping workforce reductions that eliminated tens of thousands of positions across the technology sector in 2024 and 2025.
Apple reported approximately 164,000 full-time employees as of late September 2024, representing an increase of 3,000 employees from the previous year despite four separate rounds of smaller-scale reductions during 2024.
Previous 2024 cuts primarily resulted from project cancellations, including more than 600 positions eliminated when Apple shuttered its decade-long electric vehicle initiative. The services division also saw approximately 100 positions cut in August 2024, primarily affecting Apple Books and Apple News teams.
Broader Technology Sector Context
Apple’s cautious approach stands in stark contrast to industry peers. Amazon announced approximately 14,000 corporate role eliminations in late 2025. Meta eliminated 3,600 positions in early 2025, whilst Microsoft, Google and other major technology firms conducted significant reductions.
According to industry tracking data, more than 118,000 workers at US-based technology companies lost positions in 2025, continuing a trend that began in 2022 as companies adjusted from pandemic-era expansion.
Financial Performance Amid Restructuring
The sales division adjustments arrive during a period of robust financial performance. Apple reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 revenue of $102.5 billion, an eight per cent year-over-year increase. Chief executive Cook indicated the company expects revenue growth of 10–12 per cent for the December quarter.
The disconnect between strong revenue growth and workforce reduction underscores the strategic rather than financial nature of the restructuring. Apple appears focused on operational efficiency and cost optimisation even whilst maintaining healthy top-line growth.
For fiscal 2025, Apple achieved total revenue of $416 billion, representing six per cent growth compared to fiscal 2024.
The company’s approach of avoiding Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification triggers through targeted, smaller-scale reductions demonstrates sophisticated workforce management. This strategy allows Apple to adjust its organisational structure whilst minimising regulatory requirements.
As the technology sector continues navigating post-pandemic normalisation and artificial intelligence–driven transformation, Apple’s measured approach to workforce optimisation may signal evolving talent strategies across the industry. The shift towards third-party distribution models could represent a broader trend as companies seek to maintain market coverage whilst reducing fixed labour costs.
