AI news · Apple
Apple shelves a plan to replace 5,000 AppleCare staff with AI
Apple drew up the cuts betting that AI agents could answer customers by phone and online, Bloomberg reports.
Apple recently drew up a plan to lay off about 5,000 AppleCare support workers and let AI agents take over part of their work. It has now put the plan on hold indefinitely, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Apple is no longer looking at the cut, MacRumors reports, citing the Bloomberg story.
Apple’s case for the cut rested on AI agents answering customers by phone and on the web. It already uses generative AI on its 1-800-APL-CARE line. Since August a virtual assistant walks callers through troubleshooting and passes them to a person on request.
The call falls to John Ternus, Apple’s new chief executive. Bloomberg says he is cutting costs elsewhere, AppleInsider reports. Small layoffs are under way across teams, early projects are being cancelled, and divisions that expected to grow in 2027 now plan for flat headcount. About six directors in middle management have already gone, MacRumors reports.
For support teams weighing agents against people, Apple’s pause marks where one large company stops for now. AI takes the first call and people stay behind it.
Sources
- MacRumors: Apple Reportedly Planned to Replace 5,000 Support Employees With AI. Checked
- AppleInsider: Ternus is expected to cut Apple staff numbers and cancel projects. Checked
Alexander Bleu
Alexander Bleu is a creative strategist and copywriter with ten years in content and SEO. He writes and edits short-form ads, works in English and French, and reads the pricing and terms pages behind every tool on this site before anything is written about it.
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