Apple Restructures Global Sales Team, Dozens of Roles Cut Amid Strategy Shift

Apple has begun a rare and unexpected restructuring of its global sales organisation, cutting dozens of roles across multiple regions this month. The move has surprised many employees, particularly because the company is entering what could be one of its strongest quarters in several years. While Apple historically avoids broad layoffs, internal teams say they have received elimination notices over the past two weeks, leading to confusion and speculation.

According to people familiar with the matter, the cuts affect a wide section of Apple’s sales ecosystem. Staff responsible for managing key relationships with enterprise clients, educational institutions, and government agencies are among those whose roles were removed. Employees running Apple’s private briefing centres—spaces dedicated to product demonstrations for major corporate clients—were also part of the restructuring. Although Apple did not disclose the total number of eliminated positions, reports suggest that multiple teams across regions have been impacted.

Apple has confirmed the changes but offered little detail. In its public statement, the company said, “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles. We are continuing to hire and those employees can apply for new roles.” Internally, the message frames the restructuring as part of an effort to streamline operations and eliminate overlapping responsibilities.

However, some departing staff interpret the move differently. They believe Apple is shifting more of its sales activities to third-party resellers—referred to internally as “the channel.” Since many organisations already prefer working with resellers, this strategy could reduce Apple’s payroll expenses while maintaining client service levels. For those affected, the changes appear less like operational fine-tuning and more like a deliberate transfer of responsibility outside the company.

This round of reductions follows previous cuts in Australia and New Zealand, where about 20 positions were removed. The latest wave has affected even long-tenured employees, including members of the government sales unit serving clients such as the US Defense Department and Justice Department. These teams have already been under pressure due to a prolonged US government shutdown and new cost-cutting mandates from the Department of Government Efficiency.

Employees whose roles are being phased out have until January 20 to secure a new position within Apple. Severance packages are available for those unable to transition, and the company is advertising several openings within its sales teams. Still, some affected workers say the available roles do not match their experience or previous responsibilities.

The restructuring reflects leadership changes within Apple’s sales division. The department, overseen directly by CEO Tim Cook, is led by long-time executive Mike Fenger. Earlier this year, Fenger’s deputy, Vivek Thakkar, assumed responsibility for all global enterprise and education sales—an organisational shift that insiders say aligns with the current changes.

While Apple’s job reductions remain modest compared with industry-wide layoffs—Amazon cut over 14,000 roles and Meta reduced hundreds in its AI division—the move is significant internally. It comes at a time when Apple is preparing to launch a new entry-level laptop aimed at boosting its footprint in the business and education markets, making the restructuring especially noteworthy.