The decision may surprise at first glance, in 2025, ASML will record a record financial year, marked by 32.7 billion euros in turnover, a gross margin of 52.8%, a net profit of 9.6 billion euros and an order book of 38.8 billion euros. The outlook for 2026 is on the rise, with sales expected between 34 and 39 billion euros, driven by demand for EUV lithography and the rise of investments linked to artificial intelligence.
However, it is in this context of outperformance and visibility on the order book that the Dutch group announces a net reduction of around 1,700 positions, mainly within the Technology and IT organizations, and mainly in management functions. Far from being a cyclical adjustment, this decision is part of a deeper reflection on the execution capacity of a player who has become central to the global semiconductor industry.
A decision taken “at a moment of strength”
In his message addressed to employees, Chairman and CEO Christophe Fouquet takes care to place this announcement in the overall framework of results. “ As our fiscal 2025 financial results show, we are choosing to make these changes at a time of strength for the company », he writes.
The diagnosis: when growth breeds complexity
According to Christophe Fouquet, feedback from employees, suppliers and customers indicates that operating methods have become considerably more cumbersome, and are out of step with the flexibility and speed that a company must demonstrate in the current competitive context.
For a group whose machines constitute an obligatory crossing point for the most advanced founders, the slightest organizational rigidity can quickly become a risk factor.
Rethinking the engineering organization
The heart of the reorganization concerns the Technology division. ASML plans to evolve its model by partially moving away from a matrix and project-based organization, to favor a structure in which engineers will be attached to specific products and modules.
This choice aims to simplify processes, clarify responsibilities and accelerate technical decision-making. “ This need for simplification is a message we hear consistently at all levels of the organization », specifies Christophe Fouquet.
In this context, management assumes that certain functions will no longer be necessary. “ As a result of these proposed changes, certain roles, primarily at the leadership level, may no longer be required », Indicates the internal message. If the formulation is measured, the line could not be clearer: reduce the intermediate layers to bring engineering closer to execution.
During a press conference, the CEO summarized this orientation in a sentence that has become emblematic: “ We want more engineers and less management. »
A targeted reduction, not an industrial disengagement
ASML says it will continue to create engineering jobs to strengthen its existing technology projects and launch new ones. Recruitments will also continue in production, customer support and sales, in order to support the industrial ramp-up and the expansion of the installed base.
ASML is also developing a second campus in Eindhoven, designed to accommodate up to 20,000 employees in order to meet future demand.
Between market signal and execution rigor
Financial markets welcomed the announcement, interpreting the decision as a sign of operational discipline rather than a signal of fragility. In a cycle largely driven by AI and massive investments in major players in computing and semiconductors, ASML seeks to demonstrate that performance is measured by the quality of execution.
This decision comes as the group will distribute a dividend up 17%, accompanied by a new share buyback program of up to 12 billion euros.
A reorganization to last
At the conclusion of his message, Christophe Fouquet summarizes the ambition of the approach:
“ Improving our processes and systems will allow us to innovate more and innovate better, generating additional responsible growth for ASML and all of our stakeholders. »
By choosing to streamline its managerial structure at a time when demand is strong and visibility high, the group seeks to preserve what constitutes its central value, namely an ability to innovate and industrialize on a large scale. If the objective is not to be slowed down by its own complexity, it remains to be seen how such announcements will be understood and accepted on the old continent.
