As part of its decision to discontinue its car and smartwatch display projects, Apple Inc. reportedly let go of over 600 workers in California, according to documents submitted to the California Employment Development Department.
The company, located in Cupertino, California, complied with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN program, by filing eight separate reports with the state. For each address in California where there are layoffs affecting employees, businesses are required to submit a report to the state agency. While the remaining individuals were housed in buildings connected to the car project, at least 87 of the individuals worked at an address that corresponded to a covert Apple facility for its next-generation screen development.
At the end of February, Apple began to wind down both initiatives, which were seen as major moonshot efforts to advance the company’s technologies or enter sizable new areas. The car project was canceled amid indecision among executives about its direction and cost concerns. The display program was shuttered due to engineering, supplier and cost challenges.
Reportedly, 371 workers at Apple’s primary car-related office in Santa Clara, California, were let go, and numerous other employees at various satellite offices were also affected. Members of the Apple car group have occasionally been moved to other teams, such as those working on personal robotics or artificial intelligence.
Regarding how many workers are impacted by the layoffs, an Apple representative declined to comment.
Due to Apple’s extensive engineering presence on both projects in other locations, including Arizona, the WARN notices do not fully reveal the extent of the job reductions.
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