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An Intel chip on a computer motherboard, shown in an illustrative image.
Qualcomm Plans Global Job Cuts After Annual Employee Reviews
SAN DIEGO — October 20, 2026
Qualcomm plans to reduce its workforce worldwide following annual employee reviews, with notifications expected to begin in November, according to an internal memo from Chief Executive Cristiano Amon.
Amon described the move as a “performance-focused reduction” intended to strengthen the company’s performance culture and address cases where employees have repeatedly failed to meet expectations. The memo did not specify how many jobs would be eliminated, and the scale of the cuts was not immediately known.
Qualcomm had approximately 52,000 employees worldwide as of September 2025, most of them working full-time. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the planned reductions.
The job cuts come as the major smartphone chipmaker faces pressure from weaker consumer electronics sales. Rising memory prices have increased costs and weighed on demand in important markets, creating challenges for companies across the electronics industry.
Qualcomm’s share price has also underperformed the broader market this year. Its shares had gained about 1.5% in 2026, compared with an increase of more than 12% for the S&P 500 and nearly 60% for the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Qualcomm shares rose more than 1% after falling about 0.5% earlier in Tuesday’s trading session.
The company is also working to reduce its dependence on smartphone-related revenue. In its latest earnings report in late July, Qualcomm forecast quarterly profit below analysts’ expectations and warned that revenue from products linked to Apple would decline faster than previously expected.
At the same time, Qualcomm has pointed to data centres and other businesses outside the smartphone market as important sources of future growth. The company expects these businesses to more than offset lost revenue from Apple products by fiscal 2027.
Qualcomm also expects most of its chip sales to come from non-smartphone businesses in fiscal 2027 as it expands into the growing artificial intelligence data-centre market.
Amon said decisions about the workforce would take account of business priorities, organizational requirements, and the skills and expertise needed by the company. He said Qualcomm needed employees with the right capabilities in the appropriate roles as its business continued to expand.
The planned reductions highlight Qualcomm’s efforts to adjust its workforce and business priorities while pursuing growth beyond smartphones. However, the company has not disclosed how many employees will be affected or which regions and teams will face cuts.
