Qualcomm begins Bengaluru layoffs, Hyderabad may follow

New Delhi: US technology corporation Qualcomm has started laying off employees in India as part of a broader global workforce restructuring programme.

The exercise is expected to affect around 1,000 employees, or nearly 5-6 per cent of its workforce in the country, according to reports.

Layoffs apparently began at Qualcomm’s Bengaluru operations and primarily affected senior engineers and employees with several years of experience, reports said.

The restructuring is expected to extend to the company’s engineering and research centres in Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR and Chennai in the coming days, they added.

Affected employees received severance pay equivalent to three months’ salary, with additional compensation linked to their tenure, reports said. Employees who sign their exit documents within three days have reportedly been offered an additional month’s salary as an incentive, they added.

Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed the severance arrangements.

Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon had announced a global workforce restructuring on October 20, aimed at reducing headcount following its annual performance review process.

The company described the exercise as performance-focused, aimed at strengthening accountability and aligning its workforce with evolving business priorities. However, in India, senior engineers and experienced employees have reportedly been laid off, raising concerns that the exercise may also involve organisational rationalisation and cost-cutting measures.

Employees may be selected based on individual performance ratings, team-level assessments and senior management opinions, including those of US-based business leaders, the reports said. Employees have also reported potential reductions across radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) engineering teams.

Qualcomm’s biggest revenue-contributing sector, the global smartphone market, has been under pressure, prompting the company to diversify into artificial intelligence, automotive technologies, connected devices and data-centre semiconductors.

Global tech layoffs are accelerating in 2026, with more than 80,000 jobs already cut in the first quarter and total losses likely to exceed 3 lakh this year, led by companies such as Oracle, Amazon and Meta.