Report: Apple Cuts 614 Jobs in Largest Reduction Since Pandemic

Apple is reportedly laying off 614 employees.

The company gave notice of the job cuts on March 28 and those cuts will take effect on May 27, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Friday (April 5), citing California state records.

Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

The state records did not specify which projects the employees were working on, but the layoffs come about a month after reports that Apple canceled its electric car project, according to the report.

The 614 layoffs amount to the first major job cuts the company has made since the pandemic, the report said.

It was reported in April 2023 that the company cut a small number of jobs on its corporate retail teams, including those responsible for the construction and upkeep of Apple stores and other facilities.

That marked a reversal for Apple, which was attempting to carry out cost reductions without cutting jobs. Instead, the company delayed bonuses for some employees, scaled back travel and limited hiring.

Apple told employees in February that it is cancelling its efforts to build an electric car and is shifting many members from the car team to its artificial intelligence (AI) division. That decision was shared with nearly 2,000employees who were working on the car project.

The effort to build an electric car, which was known as Project Titan, was a decade-long, multibillion-dollar project. The decision to wind down the project came amid executives’ concerns about profitability and the substantial investment required for the effort.

Having ended its work on an electric car, Apple is reportedly considering entering the personal robotics market as it looks for new opportunities for growth.

The company is advertising for robotics-related roles, saying, “Our team works at the intersection of modern machine learning and robotics to shape the AI that will power the next generation of Apple products.”

The projects Apple is exploring in this field include a mobile robot for use in homes and a tabletop device with a display that can be moved with robotics. Both projects are in the early stages, neither has seen a commitment by Apple and neither may be produced.

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