Apple suffers its first major round of layoffs since pandemic, after shutting down its vehicle program, “Project Titan”
- Over 600 employees lose their jobs, primarily working on Project Titan, marking the first significant wave of layoffs for Apple since COVID-19.
- After a decade of development, Apple shut down its self-driving car project due to challenges and changing priorities
- With Project Titan scrapped, Apple reportedly prioritizes artificial intelligence initiatives over self-driving cars.
According to documents filed with the state of California, Apple has laid off a total of 614 employees. This marks the first significant round of layoffs for the tech company since the onset of the pandemic and follows its decision to shut down its automobile development program, codenamed Project Titan.
Although never officially confirmed, an Apple car is understood to have been under development for a decade. However, after years of indecision, and falling behind a changing automotive landscape, the company took the decision to shutter the program in February.
Read: The Apple iCar Is Dead After A Decade Of Development
Now, documents filed with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) program suggest that the company is putting the final nail in the project’s coffin. While it was understood that Apple would try to transition as many employees as possible to other projects, some layoffs were anticipated.
The filings do not specify the roles of the departing employees, but they are categorized by location. Bloomberg reports that at least 371 of the employees were let go from Apple’s Santa Clara office, widely known as the headquarters of Project Titan. Additionally, dozens more were laid off from satellite offices that were also believed to be involved in the automotive project.
However, at least 87 of the employees were working at a secret facility associated with a project to allow Apple to make its own device screens. That project was shuttered at the end of March, as a result of engineering and cost challenges.
“Project Titanic“
Launched in 2014, the demise of Project Titan came as a surprise to few, and it was dubbed “Project Titanic” by insiders. Throughout its development, the goals for the car changed from being a Tesla competitor, to a fully autonomous rival to Google’s Waymo, whose design was inspired by the 1950s Fiat Multipla.
Amidst leadership changes and a lack of clear direction, the project faced significant challenges in gaining momentum. Without full support from Apple’s top executives, the project faltered, leading to its demise. Reportedly, the company has now shifted its focus to AI endeavors.
Note: This story includes independent illustrations of an iCar that are neither related to nor endorsed by Apple.
