Qualcomm CEO Amon Starts Global 'Performance-Focused' Layoffs in November as AI Pivot Accelerates

Qualcomm will begin global job cuts in November after annual performance reviews, CEO Cristiano Amon told the company's 52,000 employees in an internal memo reviewed by Reuters. The cuts are framed as a 'performance-focused reduction' tied to areas that 'consistently fallen short of expectations,' and come as Qualcomm expects non-smartphone revenue — AI data centers, auto, IoT, PCs — to be the majority of chip sales in fiscal 2027. Scale and departmental mix were not disclosed; IDC expects a 16.7% drop in global smartphone shipments in 2026.