Apple has shut down part of its ambitious car project and laid of dozens off employees as it refocuses the initiative under Bob Mansfield, reports the New York Times.
The job cuts are the latest sign of trouble with Apple’s car initiative. The company has added resources to the project — code-named Titan — over the last two years, but it has struggled to make progress. And in July, the company brought in Bob Mansfield, a highly regarded Apple veteran, to take over the effort.
Employees were reportedly told that the layoffs were part of a "reboot" of the car project. Apple is said to have changed the focus of the project from an emphasis on designing and producing an actual vehicle to building out the underlying technology for a self driving car.
Project Titan has grown rapidly with over 1,000 employees now assigned to the project. Steve Zadesky was initially in charge of the endeavor but he left Apple this year for personal reasons. Mansfield who had basically retired was convinced to come back and help Apple with the project.
Notably, Apple is said to already have fully autonomous vehicles undergoing testing in a closed environment.
Apple has also made some headway in the space. The company has a number of fully autonomous vehicles in the middle of testing, using limited operating routes in a closed environment, according to people briefed on the company’s plans. Like other companies in the space, that technology is likely a number of years away from seeing mainstream consumer use, they added.
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The job cuts are the latest sign of trouble with Apple’s car initiative. The company has added resources to the project — code-named Titan — over the last two years, but it has struggled to make progress. And in July, the company brought in Bob Mansfield, a highly regarded Apple veteran, to take over the effort.
Employees were reportedly told that the layoffs were part of a "reboot" of the car project. Apple is said to have changed the focus of the project from an emphasis on designing and producing an actual vehicle to building out the underlying technology for a self driving car.
Project Titan has grown rapidly with over 1,000 employees now assigned to the project. Steve Zadesky was initially in charge of the endeavor but he left Apple this year for personal reasons. Mansfield who had basically retired was convinced to come back and help Apple with the project.
Notably, Apple is said to already have fully autonomous vehicles undergoing testing in a closed environment.
Apple has also made some headway in the space. The company has a number of fully autonomous vehicles in the middle of testing, using limited operating routes in a closed environment, according to people briefed on the company’s plans. Like other companies in the space, that technology is likely a number of years away from seeing mainstream consumer use, they added.
Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.
Read More