No details on the number of jobs that will be cut, but notifications will start going out in November
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works .
“The reduction will address employees who have consistently fallen short of expectations,” said Amon. The memo did not specify which departments would be affected or how many jobs would be cut. The company had roughly 52,000 employees at the end of its 2025 fiscal year, typically in late September.
Qualcomm, one of the world’s largest smartphone chip manufacturers with customers including Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung, has been hit by an industry-wide decline in consumer electronics sales as rising memory costs reduce demand . Its shares have risen just 1.5% in 2026, compared to gains of almost 60% for the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index.
As a result, Qualcomm is strategically pivoting to AI infrastructure and edge computing , following a broadening trend across the semiconductor industry. The company unveiled its AI200 and AI250 AI inference accelerators in October 2025. After its latest earnings report projected lower quarterly profits than initially estimated, the company said that growth in its data center business would offset any lost revenue by fiscal year 2027.
Qualcomm’s layoff decision comes as it tries to position itself for future growth. While mobile chips remain its core business, its best future opportunities might lie in data center silicon, automotive platforms, personal computing, and edge computing, and all those fields require specialized engineering talent. A performance-based reduction could let the company retain its most valuable employees in those fields while cutting duplicated roles, lower-performing teams, and positions that no longer fit its strategy.
Oracle plans more layoffs weeks after spending most of its $2.1 billion restructuring budget, report claims
Qualcomm details Snapdragon C specs for $300 laptops for the first time
Key considerations
- Investor positioning can change fast
- Volatility remains possible near catalysts
- Macro rates and liquidity can dominate flows
Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/qualcomm-to-cut-jobs-globally-in-performance-based-layoffs-ceo-says-move-will-build-stronger-performance-culture-as-company-pivots-to-ai-data-center-and-edge-products#main
- https://www.tomshardware.com/membership
- Engineer builds tiny 3D-printed single-motor drone in their bedroom
- Nvidia RTX 5090 shipment worth $470,000 goes missing in Brazilian airport
- F-22 Raptor pilot successfully demonstrates command of 'wingman' fighter drone in simulated combat
- Three workers killed, one in intensive care after fall at TSMC’s 2nm fab construction site
- Mysterious AMD Zen 6 APU with 24GB of LPDDR5 memory appears in benchmarks
Informational only. No financial advice. Do your own research.