Oppo is implementing significant job cuts within Realme’s India division. The Chinese tech giant is integrating Realme India’s sales and support teams, a strategic move aimed at consolidating operations and reducing overall business expenditures. This development follows Realme’s decision last month to rejoin Oppo as a sub-brand, a move cited at the time as an effort to centralize resources and streamline research and development costs. These planned layoffs are expected to extend to other Indian business units in the coming months.
Realme India Faces Extensive Layoffs
Oppo is actively merging various Realme divisions. Sources indicate that the initial focus is on trimming sales and support teams, with intentions to broaden these layoff efforts across other Realme India sectors eventually.
Oppo has reportedly already completed the consolidation of Realme’s business in China. The company is proceeding cautiously in India due to existing legal challenges. Realme’s sales teams have been instructed to adapt to the new organizational structure, and affected employees have been asked to resign by April 30. The specific details regarding which other Realme teams will be impacted in the near future remain unclear.
Layoffs at Realme: An Expected Outcome
While these job losses are unfortunate for the individuals affected, they aren’t entirely unexpected. The re-merger of the two companies last month was explicitly driven by the goal of combining resources and lowering operational expenses. This signifies a push to integrate their business divisions and assets, fostering a more streamlined approach to developing and launching new smartphones.
With Oppo now absorbing Realme’s diverse business functions—including sales, support, product development, and R&D—an excess workforce was an inevitable consequence. These recent layoffs demonstrate the company’s commitment to establishing an efficient and optimized operational framework. Previously, there were suggestions that Realme India’s research teams might also undergo significant restructuring.
It’s worth noting that Oppo undertook a similar consolidation in 2021, which resulted in job cuts for several OnePlus India employees. That decision was reportedly made to enhance operational efficiency by merging Oppo and OnePlus’s activities.
Realme’s Reunion With Oppo
Realme’s re-merger with Oppo represents a notable shift in the smartphone industry. Founded by Sky Li in May 2018, Realme initially operated alongside Oppo under BBK Electronics. However, Li soon departed to establish Realme as an independent brand. Since then, Realme has grown autonomously, expanding beyond China into crucial markets like India.
In January, various reports suggested Realme’s return to Oppo’s control was aimed at reducing business costs. Under the proposed arrangement, Realme and OnePlus would function as sister brands managed by Oppo. There were also claims that Sky Li would lead both sub-brands, though this has yet to receive official confirmation.