SAN FRANCISCO — Apple recently considered a plan to lay off 5,000 customer support employees, a plan it has since paused indefinitely. The company explored replacing these roles with AI-powered phone and web agents, according to reporting by Mark Gurman.
The company is no longer actively pursuing such staffing reductions in its support division. This pause follows the recent implementation of a generative AI-powered assistant for AppleCare phone support.
Customers dialing the Apple Support phone number, 1-800-APL-CARE, from the U.S. or Canada are now directed to this new virtual assistant. The AI system can answer questions and provide step-by-step troubleshooting instructions for Apple products.
While the system can handle many inquiries independently, it offers to transfer callers to a human advisor if it cannot resolve a specific issue or if the caller requests to speak with a person.
The consideration of 5,000 layoffs indicates Apple's strategic intent to use AI for operational efficiency within its customer service infrastructure. The decision to pause these layoffs suggests a measured approach to integrating AI into a core customer-facing function.
This development occurs as Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly aims to streamline costs and concentrate on developing fewer products. The company has executed smaller, targeted workforce reductions in recent weeks.
These additional layoffs included about six directors in middle management roles. Such cuts point to an internal push for leaner team structures across the organization.
Apple's stock traded at $330.93, a 2.2 percent decline today. The Nasdaq composite index fell 0.1 percent, closing at $26,780, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.3 percent to $7,662.
