Apple has cut dozens of sales jobs in a rare move for the iPhone maker as it seeks to optimize sales of its products to businesses, schools and governments. Management notified affected employees over the past few weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. The layoffs span the entire sales department, with certain teams particularly affected, although the company has not told employees how many positions are involved.
Affected positions include account managers who serve large businesses, schools and government agencies, as well as Apple briefing center staff who host institutional meetings and product demonstrations for potential large customers.
Apple confirmed on Monday that it was reorganizing the unit but gave no specific details.
"To connect with more customers, we are making some changes to our sales team that will affect a small number of positions," a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple said in a statement. "We are still hiring and affected employees can apply for new positions."
Apple rarely makes division-wide layoffs, and this layoff came as a surprise to affected employees. The move is particularly noteworthy because Apple's revenue is growing at its fastest pace in years and it is on track to hit a record high of nearly $140 billion in sales in the December quarter.
Apple also plans to launch a new low-end laptop early next year, which could help it gain new business and education customers.
The latest cuts come weeks after about 20 jobs were cut from Apple's Australian and New Zealand sales teams.
Unemployed employees have until January 20 to find other positions within the company or will be fired and receive severance pay. Apple posted sales positions on its job site and told laid-off employees they could apply for the positions.
The company internally positioned the layoffs as part of a move to streamline the sales force and eliminate overlapping responsibilities.
But some affected employees said the move was a strategy by Apple to shift more sales to third-party resellers. Some institutions prefer working with these indirect sellers, and the change could also help Apple reduce internal costs, such as payroll expenses, they said.
The layoffs involve some senior managers, including some employees who have worked at Apple for 20 or 30 years. One of the targets of the layoffs is the government sales team that works with agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Justice.
Previously, the team was already facing a difficult situation due to the 43-day U.S. government shutdown and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) trying to cut spending.