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

What happened

According to The Hindu and CTech, Qualcomm, grappling with sluggish smartphone demand and declining Apple-related revenue, has reportedly begun implementing layoffs first flagged in October; the first wave 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 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. 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, though the company has yet to confirm the extent of the layoffs. According to Money Control, the cuts could also reach engineering and R&D hubs in Delhi-NCR and Chennai, affecting teams focused on radio frequency, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and satellite navigation technologies. Background: Qualcomm's annual report filed with the U.S. SEC on November 4 states it had approximately 57,000 employees worldwide as of September 27, 2026; in 2023, India accounted for 36% of its 50,257 employees worldwide, roughly 18,100 workers. While Qualcomm framed the layoffs as performance-driven, affected employees said some positions were eliminated due to business needs rather than poor performance. This follows a fourth-quarter smartphone chip sales miss against Wall Street expectations.

Impact and signal

Affected components and suppliers

Source and time

Source: TrendForce · 11/11/2026 · View original source