HP To Cut 6,000 Jobs, Apple To Trim Sales Team & US Gov To Shed 317,000 Workers

Since the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI), businesses have turned to these emerging technologies to power various processes. AI has even upgraded other workflows indirectly, resulting in mass layoffs.
 

HP To Cut 6,000 Jobs

Technology company HP Inc. outlined plans to cut its global workforce by 4,000 to 6,000 by the end of fiscal 2028.

The move comes as HP looks to adopt and enable AI tech to drive customer satisfaction, product innovation, and productivity—a company-wide initiative that’s expected to save the company around $1 billion in gross run rate savings by the end of fiscal 2028.

HP says it expects to incur expenses of about $650 million in restructuring and other charges, including labor and non-labor costs, beginning with around $250 million in fiscal 2026.

The plans were conveyed through the company’s fiscal 2025 full-year and fourth-quarter results report, which also noted that the company hit a net revenue of $55.3 billion for the year, up 3.2% from the previous year period, as well as a fourth-quarter net revenue of $14.6 billion, up 4.2% for the same period last year. It also generated a free cash flow of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter.

The company also returned $1.9 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases.

 

Apple To Trim Sales Team

Looking to bolster its customer engagement efforts, Apple said it was preparing to cut jobs across its sales teams.

While the company didn’t provide an exact or ballpark figure, it did clarify that only a small number of workers would be affected.

Affected workers are expected to include account managers serving major businesses, schools, and government agencies, especially those working with the U.S. Defense Department and Justice Department. It will also affect some of those who operate its briefing centers for institutional meetings and product demonstrations for prospective customers.

At the same time, Apple will continue to hire, and employees who will be dropped can apply for such new roles.
 

US Government To Shed 317,000 Workers

Even the U.S. government has plans to reduce its workforce; this was the key goal of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE, which is a play on the meme that also inspired a cryptocurrency company).

However, the U.S. government’s workforce reduction represents a significantly larger number—317,000 federal employees—which will be dropped this year, as per the Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor.

Kupor also mentioned that the government hired 68,000 workers in 2025. Both of these numbers were higher than what he estimated earlier this year.

Meanwhile, rumors and reports poured in that DOGE had “disbanded” eight months before its scheduled timeline.

These were cleared up by Kupor, who said, “DOGE may not have centralized leadership under
@USDS [U.S. DOGE Service]. But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc.” 

All this comes shortly after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted 43 days and was the country's 11th government shutdown that resulted in federal employees being taken off duty. 

On the other end of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese government is taking a leaf out of the DOGE book and has launched its own department to cut budget waste. However, Japan’s Office in Charge of Reviewing Special Tax Measures and Subsidies will not look to overhaul government agencies but will review low-impact policy programs.
 

A Season Of Layoffs

Just under a fortnight ago, we reported that United States-based telecom giant Verizon was set to lay off 15,000 workers or about 15% of its workforce, marking its largest-ever layoff spree, and included reducing non-union management titles by over 20%.

At the same time, chip design-making software company Synopsys revealed that in a bid to redirect investment towards growth opportunities, it was going to reduce its workforce by 2,000 workers or around 10%.

More recently, Spanish telecom giant Telefónica said it had plans to cut 5,040 jobs in Spain as it looked to cut costs. Reports note that if the plan were to be carried out, the layoffs “would affect 41% of employees in the Telefonica de Espana unit, 31% at Telefonica Moviles and 24% in Telefonica Soluciones, adding up to around 20% of Telefonica's staff in Spain of roughly 25,000.”

Also, building on its previous plan to shed 14,000 corporate workers and become more efficient, Amazon said the revised number for that plan could grow to 30,000. As a part of that effort, it began laying off 660 workers in New York City alone, which affected nine offices. Here, its Hudson Yards office dropped 233 workers, and its 424 Fifth Avenue office cut 182 jobs.

Do you think the layoff season is over, or has it just begun?

Let us know in the comments below!