Apple Inc. has terminated more than 600 employees in California as it decided to halt its efforts in the car and smartwatch display projects.
In compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) program, Apple, as per a report by Bloomberg, filed eight separate reports to the state. This is a standard procedure, where companies are obligated to submit a report to the state agency for each California address where employees are affected by a layoff.
Around 87 people were employed at an address linked to a confidential Apple facility engaged in next-gen screen development, while the rest worked at buildings connected to the car project. The tech giant is the latest company to join the trail of mass layoffs taking place. Notably, these job cuts are not limited to tech companies as sectors beyond have also been affected by the same.
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Apple had started initiating the closure of both plans in February. These projects were seen as a big step forward in technology advancement and exploring new sectors for expansion.
The decision to cancel the car project came amidst uncertainties among executives regarding its direction coupled with concerns about its costs. Similarly, the display program was discontinued due to a combination of engineering challenges, supplier difficulties, and cost issues.
A few weeks back, Apple bought a Canadian AI company, Darwin AI. The company plans to use it for inspecting components in manufacturing and concurrently, developing smaller, more efficient AI system.
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