For years, a senior engineering role at Qualcomm's Indian R&D centres was seen as one of the safest jobs in the country's tech sector. That view is now being tested. The US chipmaker has started laying off employees in India as part of a global workforce restructuring. Reports say about 1,000 people, or nearly 5–6 per cent of its India headcount, could be affected.
What stands out is who is being let go. The exercise reportedly began at Qualcomm's Bengaluru operations and has mainly hit senior engineers and employees with several years at the company. In past tech downturns, juniors and contract staff usually went first. This time the cuts appear to start at the top of the experience ladder.
The restructuring is expected to reach the company's engineering and research centres in Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Chennai in the coming days.
"Performance" or a cost reset?
Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon announced the global restructuring on October 20, tying the headcount reduction to the company's annual performance review. The company has described the exercise as performance-focused, aimed at strengthening accountability and aligning its workforce with evolving business priorities.
On the ground in India, the picture looks less clear. Experienced engineers usually draw the highest salaries, so cutting them suggests the exercise may be as much about cost as about performance. Employees may reportedly be selected using individual performance ratings, team-level assessments and the views of senior management, including US-based business leaders.
Employees have also reported that radio frequency (RF), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) engineering teams could see cuts. These connectivity areas have long been central to Qualcomm's reputation in mobile chips.
Reports say affected employees are receiving severance equal to three months' salary, plus extra compensation linked to tenure. Those who sign their exit documents within three days have reportedly been offered one more month's salary. Qualcomm has not publicly confirmed these arrangements.
The smartphone squeeze behind the shake-up
The restructuring follows pressure on Qualcomm's biggest revenue source, the global smartphone market. In response, the company has been moving into artificial intelligence, automotive technologies, connected devices and data-centre semiconductors. A shift like this often means fewer people in older product lines and more hiring in new ones.
For India, this matters a great deal. The country has become one of Qualcomm's most important engineering bases outside the US, and its senior engineers carry years of specialised chip-design knowledge. Whether that expertise is absorbed by India's growing semiconductor ecosystem, including domestic chip startups and global players expanding their design centres, or lost to the sector will be worth watching.
Part of a wider 2026 trend
Qualcomm is not alone. Global tech layoffs are speeding up in 2026, with more than 80,000 jobs cut in the first quarter alone. Total losses are likely to exceed 3 lakh this year, led by companies such as Oracle, Amazon and Meta.
For India's tech workforce, the takeaway is uncomfortable but clear: seniority and specialist skills no longer guarantee job security when global companies redraw their priorities.
With inputs from IANS
