Qualcomm Plans Global Job Cuts With Notices Starting in November

Following annual employee reviews, Qualcomm expects to eliminate positions globally and begin notifying affected workers in November 2026, amid weaker QCT handset revenue and growth in automotive chips.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon outlined the plan in an Oct. 19 memo without specifying how many positions would be eliminated. He said business priorities, organizational needs, and employees’ skills and expertise would guide the decisions. Amon described the effort as part of building “a stronger performance culture.”

Qualcomm’s workforce numbered about 52,000 on Sept. 28, 2025, including full-time, part-time and temporary workers. The company has not disclosed how much of that workforce the planned cuts will affect.

Revenue moved in different directions across Qualcomm’s QCT chip segment in the fiscal quarter ended June 28, 2026. QCT handset revenue fell 20% to $5.086 billion from $6.328 billion a year earlier, while QCT automotive revenue rose 61% to $1.588 billion.

Qualcomm shipped fewer chipsets to some major device makers after they revised production plans to lower inventory amid constrained memory supplies and higher prices. The lower shipments added pressure to Qualcomm’s handset business during the quarter.

Qualcomm has set a fiscal 2029 target of $40 billion in annual QCT non-handset revenue, including more than $15 billion from data centers. Those figures are targets, not revenue already generated. Notices to workers affected by the job cuts are expected to begin in November 2026.