Qualcomm Layoffs: American technology giant Qualcomm (Qualcomm) has officially started the process of massive layoffs of its employees in India. The drastic decision has been taken as part of the company's massive plan to reduce workforce globally. According to recent reports, Qualcomm's move may directly affect around 1,000 employees working in India. This figure represents about 5 to 6 percent of the company's total workforce in India. This decision of the company has created an atmosphere of great insecurity and anxiety in the Indian technology sector.
Layoffs start from Bengaluru
The impact of this planned restructuring by Qualcomm has been seen first in the Bengaluru office, where senior engineers with years of experience are being let go. The wave of layoffs is likely to extend to engineering and research centers in Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and Chennai in the coming days. The affected employees are claimed to be given severance compensation equal to 3 months salary and additional amount based on length of service. Also, there is talk of giving 1 month additional bonus pay to those who sign the exit documents within 3 days, though the company has not given an official approval on this.
Why did Qualcomm take the drastic decision?
The company's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Cristiano Amon announced a global workforce restructuring last October 20. This tough step has been taken to reduce costs and align the organization with changing economic priorities after the completion of the annual performance appraisal process. Currently, due to revenue pressure in the global smartphone market and slowdown in the technology sector, the company is trying to streamline its organizational structure.
Which teams had the biggest impact?
According to reports, major cuts have been made to key engineering teams like Radio Frequency (RF), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Employees are selected based on individual performance, team evaluation and inputs from US-based leadership. On one hand traditional teams are being cut, on the other Qualcomm is focusing its attention and investment in artificial intelligence (AI), automotive technology and data center businesses.
A global tsunami of layoffs in the tech industry
In the year 2026, the pace of layoffs in the global technology industry has accelerated. In the first quarter of this year alone, leading tech companies like Oracle, Amazon and Meta laid off more than 80,000 employees. The total number of layoffs globally is expected to reach over 300,000 by the end of this year. These big changes coming in the technology world are proving to be a call for future IT sector.