Apple Laid Off Over 600 Employees As Car, Smartwatch Projects Stopped

New Delhi: The technology company Apple has recently laid off more than 600 workforce in California. This decision came after the tech giant decided to halt its projects related to cars and smartwatch displays, according to filings with the California Employment Development Department, Bloomberg reported.

The tech giant filed eight separate reports with the state under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) program concerning the recent layoff. Apple began the process of discontinuing both projects at the end of february. These initiatives were considered important efforts to advance the company's technology or explore significant new areas. ()

The company decided to terminate the car project because company executives were uncertain about its direction and worried about its financial impact. Hence, the decision to shut down the display program was due to several difficulties in engineering, finding suppliers, and controlling expenses, according to the report. ()

As stated by the report, 371 employees were let go from Apple's main office in Santa Clara, California, which was primarily focused on car-related projects. Moreover, some workers in satellite offices were also affected. In some cases, employees from the Apple car team were moved to different departments, such as those working on artificial intelligence (AI) or personal robotics.

The most recent layoffs at Apple come after a previous restructuring in April 2023. During this earlier period, the company started a campaign to reduce costs and cut a few jobs in its corporate retail divisions. Following that, Apple also removed positions from its development and preservation teams, which are responsible for building and maintaining Apple retail stores and other infrastructure globally.