[News] Qualcomm Reportedly Begins First Wave of India Layoffs, with Over 1,000 Jobs at Risk

As Qualcomm grapples with sluggish smartphone demand and declining Apple-related revenue, the chipmaker has reportedly begun implementing layoffs first flagged in October, following a fourth-quarter smartphone chip sales miss against Wall Street expectations. According to The Hindu and CTech, the first wave of cuts began at its Bengaluru and Hyderabad operations on November 9, potentially putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk across India.

As previously reported by Reuters, Qualcomm planned to trim its global workforce following its annual employee evaluations, with CEO Cristiano Amon outlining a “performance-focused reduction” in a memo. Employees are expected to begin receiving layoff notices in November, the report adds.

India Workforce Under Pressure amid Global Layoffs

India has long been a key operational hub for Qualcomm. Citing the chipmaker’s annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 4, The Hindu notes that Qualcomm had approximately 57,000 employees worldwide as of September 27, 2026.

While Qualcomm’s 2025 annual report did not disclose a country-level breakdown, The Hindu notes that India accounted for 36% of Qualcomm’s 50,257 employees worldwide in 2023, equivalent to roughly 18,100 workers. Alongside the U.S. and China, India plays a significant role in the company’s sales, administrative and R&D activities, the report suggests.

As for the latest round of cuts, CTech cites local reports estimating that between 600 and 1,200 jobs could be affected, potentially accounting for 5% to 6% of Qualcomm’s estimated 20,000-strong workforce in India. The chipmaker, however, has yet to confirm the extent of the layoffs.

On the other hand, the layoff in the country might not end here. According to Money Control, the cuts could also reach the chipmaker’s engineering and R&D hubs in Delhi-NCR and Chennai, affecting teams focused on radio frequency, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and satellite navigation technologies.

Beyond Performance: Qualcomm Employees Point to Business-Driven Layoffs

While Qualcomm has framed the layoffs as performance-driven, accounts from affected employees suggest the selection criteria may extend beyond individual evaluations. According to CTech, one Bengaluru-based employee wrote on Reddit that they had received performance ratings of 3, 4 and 4 over three annual reviews during their four years at the company. Despite expecting a promotion from Engineer to Senior Engineer, the employee said they were instead notified of their dismissal.

In addition, CTech also cited a senior ASIC design verification engineer who claimed to have been laid off on November 9 after nearly seven years with Qualcomm. Other employees reportedly received similar notices, with some saying their positions were eliminated due to business needs rather than poor performance—raising further questions about the criteria behind the cuts.

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(Photo credit: Qualcomm)