Apple job cuts: Hardware programme managers laid off as CEO reduces management layers

Apple has laid off some hardware programme managers as chief executive John Ternus and chief hardware officer Johny Srouji move to reduce management layers, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, as reported by MacRumors on 25 October 2026.

The reported departures form part of broader organisational changes at the technology company, including shifts in engineering leadership and an earlier round of job cuts in California. However, Apple has not announced a company-wide workforce reduction, and the number of hardware programme managers affected remains undisclosed.

Hardware organisation undergoes leadership changes

MacRumors, citing Gurman’s reporting, said Apple had dismissed some hardware programme managers in recent weeks as Ternus and Srouji worked to simplify the company’s management structure.

The report also identified changes within Apple’s display development team. Wei Chen and John Zhong, both of whom have spent around 30 years at Apple, are moving into more limited advisory roles, while Victor Yin is taking oversight of much of the company’s display development.

Three engineering leaders have also been promoted to vice-president positions, according to the report:

• Rajesh Ambati

• Louie Sanguinetti

• Derek Shaeffer

Their work covers connectivity hardware and software, MacRumors reported.

The changes point to a restructuring of parts of Apple’s engineering organisation, with management departures occurring alongside leadership appointments. The reports do not specify how many programme managers have lost their jobs or whether the changes extend across other hardware teams.

California records show 147 permanent job cuts

Separate data from the California Employment Development Department records 147 permanent layoffs across three Apple locations. The state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) report lists a notice date of 20 August 2026 and an effective date of 19 October.

The listed positions are distributed across the following sites:

• 79 positions at One Apple Park Way in Cupertino.

• 40 positions at 605 W. Maude Avenue in Sunnyvale.

• 28 positions at 599 N. Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale.

TheStreet reported that the filing covered a range of technical roles, including software development engineers, machine-learning and AI/ML specialists, computer-vision engineers, engineering programme managers, and augmented reality and virtual reality software developers.

TheStreet also connected the filing to an earlier reduction of around 200 roles reported by Bloomberg. The earlier cuts reportedly included approximately 100 positions in Apple’s Vision Pro organisation and another 100 across Siri and software teams.

The California filing does not establish whether the hardware programme managers mentioned in Gurman’s October report are included in the 147 positions. The two reports concern different sets of information and should not be combined into a single confirmed layoff total.

John Ternus pushes for a leaner organisation

Gurman’s earlier reporting, published on 29 September and relayed by MacRumors, described Ternus’s efforts to reduce management layers and make greater use of existing engineering teams.

According to the report, some directors and engineering programme managers had been dismissed and given several weeks to seek other positions within Apple. Early planning discussions for 2027 also indicated flat staffing levels, although the report did not establish a company-wide hiring freeze.

The same report said Apple had considered cutting around 5,000 support roles amid the possibility that AI-powered phone and web agents could take over some tasks. MacRumors reported that the proposal had been put on hold indefinitely, with Apple not then planning to proceed.

The potential support cuts remain separate from the reported hardware management departures. The available reporting does not establish that artificial intelligence directly caused the hardware programme manager layoffs.

R&D spending rises alongside workforce changes

Apple’s restructuring comes as the company increases spending on research and development. TheStreet reported that Apple spent approximately US$11.7 billion on R&D in its fiscal third quarter of 2026, compared with around US$8.9 billion in the same period a year earlier, an increase of about 32%.

For the first nine months of fiscal 2026, R&D spending reached approximately US$34 billion, up from US$25.7 billion a year earlier, according to TheStreet.

Apple attributed the higher spending primarily to increased infrastructure costs, including investment in artificial intelligence, as well as higher headcount-related expenses, TheStreet reported.

The figures show that Apple is increasing its investment in research and development while making changes to parts of its workforce. They do not, on their own, demonstrate a direct link between AI investment and the reported job cuts.

What to watch as restructuring continues

The immediate questions concern the scale of the management changes, the number of employees affected and whether further organisational adjustments follow. The available reports do not establish a confirmed company-wide layoff figure or a final timeline for the broader restructuring.

For now, the reported hardware programme manager departures, leadership changes and California employment filings provide separate indicators of Apple’s evolving workforce strategy. Further disclosures or reporting will be needed to establish how these changes fit together and what they mean for the company’s engineering organisation.