Apple is halting a secret, long-running project to build self-driving electric cars, according to Bloomberg. According to TechCrunch, the company has already begun laying off some people working on the project.
The scope of layoffs cannot be determined immediately. Bloomberg reports that many of the roughly 2,000 employees still working on the project will move to Apple's generative AI project.
The decision to halt the project comes as major automakers reassess their investments in electric vehicles and amid increased scrutiny of self-driving car projects. Apple's entry into the automotive sector was seen as something that could help its bottom line by providing a new revenue stream to help it combat stagnant hardware sales and regulatory threats to its services business. Apple declined to comment.
Apple first launched its automotive project, known internally as “Project Titan”, in 2014. But over the past decade, it has repeatedly pivoted between focusing on creating an all-electric competitor to Tesla and focusing on making it more similar to a fully self-driving car. Made by Waymo. Most recently, Bloomberg reported in January that the company was under pressure from Apple's top executives and board to find ways to get something to market faster.
This story is developing…