Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Apple Shelves Plan to Replace 5,000 AppleCare Workers With AI
Apple considered replacing some customer-support workers with computer programs that can talk with customers.
The plan could have affected about 5,000 AppleCare workers.
Many of those workers do their jobs from home.
Apple has now put the plan on hold, so those jobs are not immediately at risk.
However, Apple already uses a generative AI voice assistant for some support calls.
The company is also changing other parts of its business under new CEO John Ternus.
Some engineering and other teams have already seen job cuts.
Apple has not explained exactly why it stopped the AppleCare plan.
Apple has paused a proposal to eliminate about 5,000 AppleCare support jobs.
The plan would have shifted more troubleshooting and customer-service work to AI agents.
Many potentially affected AppleCare employees work from home.
Generative AI already handles some AppleCare calls in the United States and Canada.
The decision comes amid broader restructuring under new CEO John Ternus, including cuts in several teams.
- Who
- Apple, AppleCare workers, and new CEO John Ternus.
- What
- Apple paused a proposal to cut about 5,000 AppleCare jobs and shift more support work to AI agents.
- When
- The proposal was developed over the summer, and the decision to pause it was reported after John Ternus became CEO on September 1.
- Where
- The affected jobs are within AppleCare; some employees work from home, and AI-assisted calls already operate in the United States and Canada.
- Why
- Apple believed AI could handle parts of customer support, while Ternus is pursuing a broader effort to make the company leaner; the specific reason for pausing the layoffs is unknown.
- Planned job cuts
- About 5,000 AppleCare positions
- Plan status
- Put on hold; Apple is not currently seeking to proceed
- Proposed technology
- AI-powered phone and web agents
- Existing AI use
- Generative AI already handles some AppleCare calls in the United States and Canada
- New CEO
- John Ternus took over from Tim Cook on September 1
- Broader restructuring
- Apple has made cuts in hardware engineering, Siri, Vision Pro, AI software, and Fitness+ teams
- Future headcount
- Some divisions now expect headcount to remain flat in 2027