Samwise High Tech Recruiting Newsletter
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Apple Cuts 200-Plus Jobs Across Siri and Vision Pro Teams
Apple confirmed cuts to more than 200 jobs across its Siri and Vision Pro teams in August 2026, one of the company’s rare mass workforce reductions. Roughly 100 roles come from Vision Pro, where Apple shut down a gaming-focused team and scaled back Immersive Video staff. Another 100 positions affect the Siri and Intelligent Systems Experience teams, restructured as Apple migrates Siri to a new technical architecture tied to its AI platform. The company said it will create new roles while eliminating existing ones. Apple’s VP overseeing Vision Pro has since departed for OpenAI, and reports indicate the company shelved a Vision Pro successor in favor of AI glasses.
Sources: Fast Company, TechCrunch
TikTok Cuts 75 Bellevue Jobs in E-Commerce Restructuring
TikTok filed a WARN notice on August 19 to cut 75 employees at its Bellevue, Washington office by October 19, citing internal restructuring of its e-commerce operations. All affected roles fall within TikTok Shop and Global E-Commerce, covering anti-fraud program managers, campaign managers, data scientists, and software engineers based at Lincoln Square North. The cuts follow TikTok’s earlier August closure of its Nashville office, which eliminated 250 content moderation jobs. It is the second consecutive year TikTok has reduced headcount in Bellevue, after laying off 65 employees at the same location in 2025. August has become one of the heaviest months for Seattle-area tech job losses in 2026.
Sources: Fast Company, GeekWire
2026 Tech Layoffs Surpass Full-Year 2025 Total With Four Months to Spare
Tech industry job losses in 2026 surpassed the full-year 2025 total by mid-August, with 127,180 workers cut across 281 companies — nearly 5,000 more than all of last year’s reductions, with four months remaining. Fast Company reported August 25 that Apple, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Netflix are among the latest contributors. AI is cited as a driver in more than half of all 2026 layoff announcements. The TrueUp tracker counts 205,832 workers impacted in 322 events this year, averaging 865 daily job losses. LinkedIn cut 875 positions in May despite posting record quarterly revenue above $5 billion, reflecting the industry-wide pattern of simultaneous record profits and workforce reductions.
Sources: Fast Company, TrueUp
OpenAI Data Center Chief Chris Malone Exits Ahead of IPO
OpenAI’s head of data centers, Chris Malone, has left the company, CNBC and TechCrunch confirmed August 25, marking the fourth high-profile executive departure in a month as the company works to justify its $852 billion valuation ahead of a planned IPO. Malone joined OpenAI in March 2025 from Google and Meta, where he built data center infrastructure, and helped oversee the company’s plan to spend roughly $600 billion on compute by 2030. His exit follows the departures of revenue chief Denise Dresser, longtime executive Brad Lightcap, and product and business chief Fidji Simo. OpenAI said it has reorganized its infrastructure organization and has clear leadership in place.
Sources: CNBC, TechCrunch
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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