Qualcomm Reportedly Begins Layoffs in India, With Around 1,000 Jobs at Risk
NEW DELHI–U.S. semiconductor company Qualcomm has reportedly begun laying off employees in India as part of a global workforce restructuring initiative, with approximately 1,000 positions potentially affected across its engineering and research operations.
The job cuts could affect an estimated 5% to 6% of Qualcomm’s workforce in India, according to media reports, as the company seeks to reorganize its operations and align staffing with changing business priorities.
The layoffs reportedly began at Qualcomm’s Bengaluru facilities, where senior engineers and employees with several years of experience were among those affected.
The restructuring is expected to expand to the company’s engineering and research centers in Hyderabad, the Delhi National Capital Region and Chennai in the coming days.
According to reports, affected employees have been offered severance packages equivalent to three months of salary, along with additional compensation based on their length of service.
Employees who sign separation agreements within three days have reportedly been offered an additional month’s salary as an incentive.
Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed the reported severance arrangements.
Qualcomm Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon announced a broader global workforce restructuring initiative on October 20, outlining plans to reduce employee headcount following the company’s annual performance review process.
The company characterized the restructuring as a performance-based initiative intended to improve accountability and ensure its workforce remains aligned with evolving business priorities.
However, reports that experienced engineers and senior technical employees are among those losing their jobs in India have raised questions about whether the reductions also reflect broader cost-cutting and organizational changes.
According to the reports, decisions about which employees are affected may involve individual performance evaluations, assessments of team performance and recommendations from senior management, including executives based in the United States.
The workforce reductions could extend across several technical divisions, including radio frequency engineering, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and global navigation satellite system technologies.
Qualcomm, one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, has faced challenges associated with slowing growth and competitive pressures in the global smartphone market, which remains a major source of its revenue.
The company has been expanding into other businesses, including artificial intelligence, automotive technology, connected devices and data center semiconductors, as it seeks to diversify its revenue streams and reduce its dependence on smartphones.
The reported layoffs in India come amid a broader wave of workforce reductions across the global technology industry.
More than 80,000 technology jobs were reportedly eliminated worldwide during the first quarter of 2026, with annual job losses projected to exceed 300,000. Major technology companies, including Oracle, Amazon and Meta, have also been associated with workforce reductions.
India is an important engineering and research hub for Qualcomm, supporting the development of semiconductor technologies, wireless connectivity solutions and other products used in global markets.
The reported reductions could affect experienced technical professionals working on technologies central to the company’s existing businesses and future growth initiatives.
While Qualcomm has outlined its broader restructuring strategy, the company has not publicly confirmed the reported number of layoffs in India or provided a detailed breakdown of the positions affected. (Source: IANS)
