On April 5, reports emerged that Apple is planning to lay off over 600 employees, an action tied to the company’s decision to possibly scrap its automotive project. Documents submitted to the state of California indicate compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, revealing the layoff of employees primarily located in facilities near Santa Clara, not far from Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. These facilities have been linked to the once-ambitious Apple car project.
▲Apple Car imaginary picture
The speculation arises following the revelation that Apple may have discontinued its electric vehicle development. This decision impacts many of the engineers and designers involved, despite some team members being redeployed to other projects within the company.
Earlier in February, reports from various media outlets suggested that Apple had internally halted its electric vehicle initiative, originally launched in 2014 under the codename “Project Titan”. The project was a part of Apple’s broader strategy to break into new market segments, assembling a team of leading experts from companies like Google, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Ford. Nevertheless, multiple strategic, directional, and cost-related challenges led Apple to ultimately abandon the project, culminating in the recent layoffs.