Apple has finally abandoned its plans to build its own electric vehicle after the project reached a “make-or-break point,” according to a report from Bloomberg.
Bloomberg reported that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Kevin Lynch, a vice president tasked with managing the project, informed employees on Tuesday that it will begin winding now its plans to enter the automobile market. Staff working on the effort will either be laid off or transferred to the company’s artificial intelligence division.
The outlet explained:
The two executives told staffers that the project will begin winding down and that many employees on the car team — known as the Special Projects Group, or SPG — will be shifted to the artificial intelligence division under executive John Giannandrea. Those employees will focus on generative AI projects, an increasingly key priority for the company.
The Apple car team also has several hundred hardware engineers and vehicle designers. It’s possible they will be able to apply for jobs on other Apple teams. There will be layoffs, but it’s unclear how many.
Bloomberg added that the decision was taken as the result of recent discussions among senior executives that the project was on the brink:
Apple’s most senior executives finalized the decision in recent weeks, according to the people. It comes just a month after Bloomberg News reported that the project reached a make-or-break point. The most recent approach discussed internally was delaying a car release until 2028 and reducing self-driving specifications from Level 4 to Level 2+ technology.
Under Apple’s original plans, dubbed Project Titan, the company hoped to enter another sector by manufacturing a luxurious and fully autonomous electric vehicle.