Qualcomm Layoff 2026: IITian Gets 15 Months’ Salary in Severance Package, Calls It a ‘Blessing in Disguise’

An Indian IITian's confession on Reddit is going viral, where the person is calling the latest Qualcomm job cut a "blessing in disguise." The reason? The senior engineer who holds over 5 years of experience at Qualcomm has actually wanted to leave his job and even required his higher-ups to consider him in the latest layoff. His wish was granted, and what he had not expected was to receive 15 months' salary as part of the severance package. However, the same is not the case with other Indian techies who are facing the latest Qualcomm layoff.

Qualcomm Layoff:

As per reports, the US-based semiconductor giant is carrying a global restructure with thousands of jobs likely facing a mass job cut. India is part of the restructure plan, and reports said approximately 1,000 techies from the country could lose their jobs. The first round of job cuts began reportedly at Qualcomm's Bengaluru facility last week on Monday.

The reports reveal that at least 7% of Qualcomm's 52,000 workforce are at job risks. These included employees from different departments such as research and development (R&D) and engineering facilities in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, and Chennai. After the USA, India is the largest engineering base of Qualcomm.

Qualcomm Layoff Blessing In Disguise?

The unknown IITian said on Reddit, "I'm a senior engineer with 5 years experience overall at Qc who moved to another team this year through internal transfer. I have been in the current team for around 6 months."

He added, "So I was doing well in my previous team, and I had moved cities, thinking that I could be closer to home. A few months in and I realised I had dug myself a grave." He expressed his stress over toxic work culture.

"The work culture is the absolute worst. I didn't mind having a poor work life balance because I was interested in the work. What I did mind though were personal attacks. I had my own interviewer tell me that my interview was horrible. My python skills were horrible. Not much support from anyone and just gave me vibes that I don't even belong here. I was ready to learn but that didn't matter," he said on Reddit.

He pointed out that his previous manager from his previous team used to call him a a python wizard. He said, "Also I used to ace all my computer science subjects, I am even an IITian. I have heard much worse stories from other teams where some people even go on to ask things like "Are you even an engineer?" to someone who asked a basic question."

In the new team, he felt the deadline was too tight that maybe it makes people behave in this way. He wrote, "My motivation to work became almost negligible as a result because no matter what I did it really didn't matter."

So, he requested his seniors to lay him off. He writes, "As soon as I saw CA's email, I was extremely overjoyed and felt like it was a sign from God for me to escape from this hellhole. That same day I had requested my director and manager to lay me off. At the time, they told they would keep a note of this."

Since then, he was eagerly waiting for the result and eventually got laid off few days ago. He added, "I didn't think much of the financial perks of this layoffs but came to know that I would be getting around a year worth of salary."

As per the engineer, in his layoff severance package, he is going to get:

- 3 months standard salary

- 1 month for signing in 3 days

- 5 months for tenure

- 2 months (relocation bonus that he does not have to give back)

- 1-2 months leave encashment

Adding, he writes, "That makes it 12 months of salary. Apart from this I will get regular salary till Jan end (3 months). So overall 15 months salary without much effort from my side."

"I used to think about resigning daily (scenario where I had to pay my relocation bonus) but now this is a blessing in disguise," the engineer added.

For now, he is planning to enjoy his life with his family and close friends for a while before getting back on the job hunt. He adds, "I have a 15 months financial security so won't rush into things as of now. The timing of this layoffs couldn't be any better for my situation."

However, on his post another employee responded, saying the case is not same for everyone. The responder added, "It is not same for everyone. I also got laid off, I have family 2 school going kids and wife housewife (due to 2 kids) need to pay rent every month and other house hold expenses I have to get a job within 6-8 months , if I don't get it then I have to leave Bangalore this is very stressful in this current job market."

Another employee who had also written his distress on Reddit over being selected for layoff just days before his wedding.

Qualcomm Layoff: What Are The Severance Package?

As per reports, there are no confirmed severance package in the Qualcomm's job cut currently. But several reports have articulated a brief description of what could be the severance package. Here's what we know so far:

1. Standard severance - 3 Months Salary

2. Tenure-based compensation - 1 additional month's salary for each year of service, according to employee accounts.

3. Early signing incentive: 1 additional month's salary for signing within 2-3 days

4. Earned leave - Encashment of eligible unused leave

5. Bonus - Possible bonus payout, depending on eligibility and team terms.

6. Relocation benefit - Some employees have reported receiving a relocation bonus

7. Insurance: Continuation of insurance benefits has been reported in some accounts

8. Gratuity - Payable to eligible employees under applicable rules.

The exact details and eligibility conditions could vary from employee to employee and their grades. Qualcomm has not official listed out the details of the severance package as well.

Why Qualcomm Is Laying Off?

A Reuters report in October said Qualcomm will cut jobs globally in a "performance-focused reduction" following its annual employee reviews, CEO Cristiano Amon ​told staff in a memo reviewed by Reuters, with notifications beginning in November. In the memo, Amon said, the cuts are part of an effort to build "a stronger performance culture" and address situations where the company has consistently fallen short of expectations.

This memo comes at a time when Qualcomm is expanding from its traditional smartphone chip business to --- Artificial intelligence and data centers, automotive semiconductors, connected devices, and advanced computing technologies.