Apple is reportedly laying off a small number of people from one of its retail teams, according to reports from Bloomberg and Business Insider. It is currently unclear how many people will be affected, but Bloomberg says the number is “probably very small,” and both outlets say that, internally, the company presents it as a way to improve its operations rather than as a cost-cutting measure.
Still, so far, Apple’s lack of layoffs has set it apart from many big tech companies that have announced major cutbacks. Those include:
Apple’s layoffs seem to be on a much smaller scale, but it seems it can no longer act as an example of a company that hasn’t resorted to laying off employees.
According to reports on Monday, Apple’s jobs are in the division that handles construction and maintenance of its retail stores, and affected employees have been told they have until the end of the week to apply for the job. other positions in the company. Apple is offering up to four months of severance pay for those who can’t stay, according to Bloomberg.
While these are the first reported layoffs of full-time employees at Apple since big tech cuts began, the company has been cutting costs in other ways, with CEO Tim Cook narration The Wall Street Journal layoffs were “a last resort.” Last month, Bloomberg reported that it had been laying off contractors, vacating some newly opened positions and slowing down hiring for some departments, delaying bonuses, cutting travel budgets, delaying projects, and more.
