Qualcomm

In October 2025, China's SAMR opened antitrust investigation into Qualcomm's June 2025 acquisition of Israeli automotive chipmaker Autotalks. Qualcomm completed the deal without filing merger notification despite SAMR's March 2024 written notice requiring filing. Qualcomm had initially claimed it was dropping the deal after regulatory notice, then proceeded anyway. With $17.8B China revenue (46% of total), Qualcomm faces potential penalty up to $1.8 billion. Shares fell 4% on probe announcement.

Consumer group Which? filed class action lawsuit on behalf of 29 million UK consumers who purchased Apple and Samsung smartphones between October 2015 and January 2024. The lawsuit alleges Qualcomm abused market dominance in chipset and patent-licensing markets, forcing phone manufacturers to pay inflated fees passed to consumers. Five-week trial began October 2025 at London's Competition Appeal Tribunal. Potential average payout of £17 per device if successful. Ruling on liability expected late 2025.

Qualcomm progressively escalated its return-to-office requirements: initial policy suggested 2 days per week, upgraded to 4 days in May 2023, and announced full 5-day in-office mandate in February 2025. CEO Cristiano Amon announced during an all-hands meeting on February 19, 2025, that 5 days in office would be fully implemented by end of FY25. Employees not in compliance with the 4 days/week mandate received notices giving them 45 days to comply before termination. Employee comments on forums describe concerns about work-life balance and 'worst toxic management' with 'unimaginable' stress levels.

In January 2025, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon announced in an internal email that the company is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Amon told employees the company is subject to 'certain regulatory requirements' from the 'new administration related to DEI programs... To ensure compliance, first we will no longer have a DEI function.' While employee-led groups like the Black Inclusion Group and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) group remain active, select programming is now managed by Human Resources and other initiatives were phased out. JoAnn Fields, API Initiative spokesperson, called the move 'really disheartening,' warning it could erode outreach to minority communities.

Qualcomm agreed to pay $75 million in 2024 to settle shareholder lawsuit alleging the company defrauded investors by hiding its anticompetitive sales and licensing practices from February 2012 to January 2017. Shareholders accused Qualcomm of artificially inflating share price by describing chip sales and licensing as separate when it bundled them to stifle competition. Former CEOs Paul Jacobs and Steven Mollenkopf were named defendants but denied wrongdoing.

In September 2024, the EU General Court upheld a €238.7 million ($265.5M) fine against Qualcomm for predatory pricing below cost during 2009-2011. Qualcomm sold UMTS chipsets to Huawei and ZTE below cost to eliminate UK competitor Icera (later acquired by Nvidia). The court found Qualcomm abused its dominant position through pricing strategy designed to exclude competitors.

In 2024, Qualcomm's Wireless Reach initiative reached its 2025 goal to positively impact the lives of over 27 million people since the program's launch in 2006. The program brings advanced technologies to underserved communities around the world. In April 2024, Qualcomm announced the first winner of the Wireless Reach Social Impact Fund: Ecorich Solutions Limited, a female-founded organization in Nairobi, Kenya, which developed the Wastebot, a smart food composter using AI and IoT to convert organic waste into affordable fertilizer for small-scale farmers.

In 2023, Qualcomm achieved its 2025 GHG emissions goal two years ahead of schedule, reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by over 35% compared to a 2014 baseline. The company reached a 100% renewable electricity milestone covering all global offices and R&D centers. Qualcomm has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain by 2040, with interim goals to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% and Scope 3 by 25% by 2030 from 2020 baseline. The company is a member of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and achieved Climate Registered Platinum status.