Apple has laid off about 100 workers from its digital services group, a rare example of job cuts for the company.
The layoffs are believed to be part of a strategic shift in priorities for Apple and were announced to affected employees yesterday, sources familiar with the matter said (via Bloomberg).
The layoffs at Apple affected teams within SVP Eddy Cue’s service department, including a number of technical roles. The largest layoffs were among employees of Apple Books.
Apple lays off employees
Other teams have also seen layoffs, including Apple News, though the app is still a key part of the company’s strategy and is included in the more expensive Apple One Premier subscription. A free version of the service is also available with less content.
Despite the changes, Apple Books is expected to continue receiving updates and new features, suggesting that Apple has not yet turned its back on the service.
More broadly, and under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, Apple has been boosting its services revenue, which now accounts for more than a fifth (22%) of the company’s total income, compared with less than a tenth a decade ago. Services brought in $24.2 billion in revenue in the company’s most recent quarter.
While layoffs at Apple are typically rare, 2024 has already seen four rounds of layoffs. Earlier this year, Apple laid off hundreds of people from its self-driving car project and scaled back its efforts on microLED displays.
TechRadar Pro Apple has asked for comment on the latest layoffs, but has not yet received a response.
Still, the company’s employees have been relatively lucky compared to those employed by other tech giants: Google started the year by laying off about 1,000 workers and has made seven more similar announcements in the months since (according to fired.fyi).
