Apple joins Amazon, Google and Microsoft in tech layoffs

Apple, which has so far avoided the massive layoffs that have occurred at rival companies such as Microsoft and Google, is finally laying off some positions, according to a Bloomberg report.

The number of executives fired is believed to be relatively low, and they are all part of the company’s “corporate retail teams,”with a focus on workers responsible for “constructing and maintaining”Apple stores and other physical facilities.

Apple has been making cost-cutting changes since last year but has managed to avoid layoffs so far, even as Big Tech colleagues have cut thousands of jobs, although Apple has severed several relationships with contractors. While it’s unusual for Apple to lay off employees, the numbers here don’t compare to those in other industries. Amazon laid off 27,000 people, Meta laid off 21,000, Microsoft laid off 10,000 and Google laid off 10,000 employees in recent months, by comparison.

Overall, Apple’s global headcount has grown by tens of thousands over the past five years. The latest major layoff streak came when the company laid off about 200 people who were working on Project Titan, its troubled autonomous vehicle project.

However, Apple upset employees in other ways. According to many reports, his management is aggressively cracking down on remote work. CEO Tim Cook has called office collaboration a cornerstone of Apple’s work culture, but many employees have resisted returning to the office as the 2020 and 2021 pandemic-related lockdowns eased.

Since then, Apple has been tracking employee badge records and issuing alerts to employees who don’t show up to the office three days a week.