Apple Layoffs Shake Up Sales Teams in Surprising Move

Apple has eliminated dozens of sales positions. What makes this particularly unusual is the timing. Apple just posted quarterly revenue of $102.5 billion, an 8% jump from last year. So why is Apple cutting jobs?

Apple begins Layoffs in Sales Teams

Apple had started cutting dozens of jobs across its sales team, as reported by Bloomberg.

The layoffs specifically targeted people who sell Apple products to large organizations rather than individual consumers.

The affected employees include:

• Account managers who work with major businesses
• Sales representatives serving schools and educational institutions
• Staff who deal with government agencies
• Employees who operate Apple's briefing centers

One of the most affected groups is Apple’s government sales team, which sells to U.S. agencies like the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice.

The team had already been operating under difficult conditions following the 43-day U.S. government shutdown and the budget reductions implemented by the DOGE.

There were some longtime employees, including managers with 20 to 30 years of experience, among the employees laid off.

However, Apple is offering affected workers until January 20, 2026, to find another position within the company. If they can’t secure a new role, they will receive a severance package.

What’s interesting is that Apple is still hiring for other sales positions. The company also told laid-off employees they could apply for these new openings.

Real Reason behind these job cuts

Apple claims it’s “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles.” 

The company appears to be shifting how it sells to big organizations. Instead of having its own employees manage every sale, Apple is pushing more business toward third-party retailers. 

Cost savings can be the main reason behind this move. Paying your own employees is expensive. When third-party retailers handle sales, those costs shift elsewhere.

The cuts are described as a “rare” layoff for Apple, which typically avoids large-scale workforce reductions. The company’s previous layoffs were small and targeted:

• January 2024: Apple shut down a 121-person AI team in San Diego, telling them to relocate to Austin or face termination.
• April 2024: Approximately 600 jobs were cut when the company canceled its self-driving car project.
• August 2024: Roughly 100 positions eliminated from Apple News and Apple Books teams

Apple has 166,000 full-time employees worldwide as of September 2025, making these sales cuts a small fraction of its total workforce.

Apple generally relies less on layoffs than its peers. CEO Tim Cook has said that job cuts are only considered as a “last resort.”

Even when Apple eliminates roles, it typically structures it in a manner that avoids triggering notification requirements under U.S. labor law.

Bottom Line

For employees, if you work in tech sales, especially in roles focused on institutional clients, companies are increasingly automating or outsourcing these functions.

For Apple, this is about positioning for the future. By reducing fixed labor costs, they are trying to maintain its competitive edge in a rapidly changing tech landscape.