Apple has decided to halt its long-standing project to develop an autonomous electric car, with executives informing the team in a brief meeting on Tuesday morning. The company is expected to let go of hundreds of employees from the project team, and all work on the initiative has been stopped, according to sources.
Some employees will be reassigned to Apple’s generative AI projects, while others will have 90 days to find new roles within the company or face layoff. The car project reportedly had approximately 1,400 employees before the decision was made to cancel it.
Apple Car No More
The move to scrap the project comes as major automakers reevaluate their investments in electric vehicles, and amid increased scrutiny on autonomous vehicle initiatives. Apple’s foray into the automotive sector was also seen as a potential revenue booster to offset slowing hardware sales and regulatory challenges to its services business. Apple has not commented on the decision.
Apple began working on its car project, internally known as “Project Titan,” in 2014, at one point employing around 5,000 workers dedicated to the effort. However, the company repeatedly changed its focus over the past decade, wavering between developing an all-electric car to compete with Tesla and a fully autonomous vehicle more similar to Waymo’s offerings. Recently, there were reports that Apple’s top executives and board were pressuring the project’s leadership to bring a product to market sooner.
Apple’s COO Jeff Williams and VP Kevin Lynch announced the project’s cancellation to the team in a brief 12-minute meeting on Tuesday, without taking questions. While the announcement was described as abrupt, sources say the decision was not unexpected due to the project’s shifting priorities over the years.
Several high-profile automotive executives have been involved in Project Titan, including former Tesla executive Doug Field (who later joined Ford) and executives from Lamborghini and Ford. In 2021, Apple hired Ulrich Kranz, a former BMW executive who worked on the i3 program, from EV startup Canoo. Apple had also held discussions with Canoo, Hyundai, and Kia as it sought contract manufacturing partners, intellectual property, and talent for its automotive project.
