Qualcomm Lays Off Staff Across India, California

The semiconductor company is cutting jobs after a performance-focused workforce review announced by CEO Cristiano Amon.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Semiconductors

Qualcomm Lays Off Staff Across India, California

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Qualcomm has begun laying off workers across its global operations, including India and California, following an internal communication from CEO Cristiano Amon about a performance-focused workforce review. The company has not publicly confirmed the final number of job cuts.

Why it matters

The restructuring follows pressure on Qualcomm's core smartphone business, where handset revenue reportedly fell 26%, amid weaker handset demand and rising memory component prices. It reflects the company's push to expand further into artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centres and automotive technology.

Qualcomm reported quarterly revenue of $10.44 billion and earnings per share of $2.17, while handset revenue reportedly declined 26%. The final number of affected employees has not been publicly confirmed, and an earlier estimate of up to 1,000 India job cuts remains unverified.

The players

Qualcomm

Qualcomm is a US-based semiconductor company known for its mobile chipsets and wireless technology licensing, and it is expanding into AI infrastructure and automotive technology.

Cristiano Amon

Cristiano Amon is the chief executive of Qualcomm, who announced the performance-focused workforce review that led to the layoffs.

The details

Some affected employees were informed through a video call with a director reading from a document, and some in India have received termination notices. Employee-shared severance terms include two weeks of gross salary plus two weeks of pay per year of service, along with a lump-sum health coverage payment and clauses waiving certain employment-related claims.

End of January: last working day for some affected employees.
November 11, 2026: reporting on the ongoing layoffs published.

Market Landscape

Qualcomm is trying to offset a 26% drop in handset revenue by pushing into AI infrastructure, data centres and automotive technology. The workforce reduction signals how chipmakers are reallocating resources as smartphone demand weakens and memory costs rise.

Affected Qualcomm employees face severance terms of two weeks' pay plus two weeks per year of service, and some have already received termination notices. For consumers, the company's handset revenue slump may influence the pace of future chip development for smartphones.

The takeaway

Companies facing a weakening core market often restructure workforces while redirecting investment toward new growth areas. Watch how Qualcomm's AI and automotive bets perform as its smartphone business contracts.