Qualcomm to cut jobs worldwide in performance-focused reduction

This isn’t Qualcomm’s first reduction in recent years. The company notified California’s Employment Development Department in 2023 that it planned to cut 1,258 positions in San Diego and Santa Clara, according to RCR Wireless, and a 2024 state filing covered 226 San Diego employees, according to TechRadar.

How the performance framing compares with the AI narrative

The framing stands out against this year’s layoff backdrop. U.S. technology companies have announced 165,925 job cuts through September 2026, up 54% from the same point in 2025, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. AI is the leading reason employers have given so far this year, cited in 120,136 cuts, or about 21% of the total, the firm said.

HRD America reported in June that AI-driven tech job cuts hit a two-year high in May, when AI accounted for 40% of all announced cuts, according to Challenger. Meta Platforms announced 8,000 of those cuts, and HRD America also examined Meta’s layoff of 8,000 employees and what comes next for HR teams.

Meta took a performance-led approach of its own in early 2025, when it moved to cut about 5% of its workforce, or roughly 3,600 jobs, according to Bloomberg and other news outlets. HRD America also reported on Meta’s decision to conduct performance-based cuts.

What the November timeline means for HR teams

Notifications start in November 2026, and the memo, as Reuters described it, doesn’t say which countries, sites or roles will be affected. Qualcomm’s annual report says its employees work in more than 200 locations across 38 countries.