Apple slows the hiring of Geniuses for some of its retail stores

Apple is slowing down the hiring of Geniuses in some retail shops. Although there is not an actual hiring freeze in place, people close to the issue report that Genius roles aren’t being filled due to employee resignations. Seen as a cost-cutting move by some, the tech giant has also retracted several verbal job offers for some Genius roles.

Reported by Bloomberg, this hiring slowdown has left a handful of technical positions open at retail stores across the United States. This is believed to be an effort to reduce staff in locations not as busy before the pandemic.

While the Genius role has been part of the Apple Store tradition since its inception in 2001, multiple locations have eliminated the famous Genius Bar. The Genius Bar was a place where customers could get technical assistance, but the Geniuses are now available to assist customers throughout the store.

Additionally, the Bloomberg article states that Apple has outsourced its Mac repairs to remote depots. Despite this, Geniuses continue to troubleshoot, manage product repair pickups, and provide general assistance.

It’s not only the Genius Bar that’s seen cutbacks, however. Apple Stores may have reduced the number of Creatives (those who teach Today at Apple) employees. Sources with knowledge of these cutbacks claim it’s hurting customer service and slowing wait times.

Apple declined to comment to Bloomberg even though numerous Genius roles are still available to apply for online.