Apple LogoApple has been cutting down on its recruiting team over the last few months, reports VentureBeat. According to a source that spoke to the site, Apple has laid off all of its contract recruiters and has started to lay off some of its full-time recruiters. Up to 100 employees could be affected by Apple's decision to prune its recruiting team if the rumors are true.

Essentially the recruiting engine inside Apple has slowed down and the company is reevaluating its activities in that area, the source said.

"You always need to have something new coming out to justify hiring," the source said.

Apple has also implemented a new incentive structure for recruiters, dropping bonuses from 40 percent of a newly recruited employee's base salary to 10 to 15 percent. In the future, the inside source believes bonuses could be eliminated entirely. Apple is also not hiring recruiters through its jobs website at this time.

The reason behind Apple's potential recruiting scale back is not known, but VentureBeat points towards ongoing cutbacks in smartphone production and an imminent Q2 2016 earnings report that's expected to see a year-over-year decline in iPhone sales and overall revenue.

Despite the reports of recruiting cuts, Apple has, in recent months, been hiring aggressively for its rumored car project, taking on employees from companies like Ford, Tesla, GM, MIT Motorsports, General Dynamics, Samsung, and more.

Top Rated Comments

Dilster3k Avatar
127 months ago
They should reevaluate that lighting port under the Magic Mouse.

They should reevaluate the charging method of the Apple Pencil and its price.

They should reevaluate that bump on the battery case.

They should reevaluate the ugly antenna bands on the iPhone.

They should reevaluate still releasing 16 GB devices at such high prices.

They should reevaluate their confusing naming schemes.

They should reevaluate re-releasing a 2012-design iPhone.

They should reevaluate Apple Music in its entirety.

They should reevaluate ditching Aperture for Photos.

They should reevaluate their entire incredibly disappointing Mac line-up & specs.

They should reevaluate their focus on making iOS and OS X stable again, and making watchOS and tvOS actually worthy of the Apple brand, instead of making a car.

Am I missing anything?
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Doctor Q Avatar
127 months ago
This must be good news because they are improving efficiency, they are reducing costs, and/or they have unusually low staff turnover.

OR...

This must be bad news because their product pipeline is shrinking and/or they're forced to reduce staff for financial reasons.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Canyonero Avatar
127 months ago
Very good news. Apple has been expanding rapidly which is never good as people who are not passionate about excellence will slip through the cracks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trifid Avatar
127 months ago
They should reevaluate that lighting port under the Magic Mouse.

They should reevaluate the charging method of the Apple Pencil and its price.

They should reevaluate that bump on the battery case.

They should reevaluate the ugly antenna bands on the iPhone.

They should reevaluate still releasing 16 GB devices at such high prices.

They should reevaluate their confusing naming schemes.

They should reevaluate re-releasing a 2012-design iPhone.

They should reevaluate Apple Music in its entirety.

They should reevaluate ditching Aperture for Photos.

They should reevaluate their entire incredibly disappointing Mac line-up & specs.

They should reevaluate their focus on making iOS and OS X stable again, and making watchOS and tvOS actually worthy of the Apple brand, instead of making a car.

Am I missing anything?
Yes:

5400rpm drives on 4k iMacs
Soldered RAM on desktop Macs
Soldering SSD cable on iMacs
RAM pricing on soldered Macs ($300 for 16GB on mac mini when it actually costs $60 on amazon)
Thinness over battery life on iPhones
iPad Pro 9.7" price hike
Lack of focus of iOS optimization/design for larger screens
Lack of focus of iOS for education
Replacing 3.5mm universal headphone jack with proprietary lightning connector which will fragment the world
1 port on Macbook 12"
480p low definition video camera on Macbook 12"
Thinness over function in general
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaveTheRave Avatar
127 months ago
Not a shock, a company of this size can't grow at the same pace forever.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AliMacs Avatar
127 months ago
Definitely need to keep that 16 GB iPhone 7 in order to make enough money to hire more contractors!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...