Apple lays off 614 employees — likely due to the cancelation of the Apple Car project

Apple is laying off 614 employees in Santa Clara, California, as part of its first mass job cuts in years, according to a state filing. It almost certainly involves the canceling of the Apple Car project.

An attorney for the tech giant wrote that the layoffs are effective on May 27, in a letter last week to the California Employment Development Department. The move, which spans eight offices in Santa Clara, follows reports that the company canceled a decade-long electric car project, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. The filing didn’t mention the project, but affected roles include “machine shop” managers, hardware engineers and product design engineers, the article adds.

On February 27, it was reported that Apple was canceling a decade-long effort to build an electric car. The project — dubbed “Project Titan” — had been underway since 2014. It’s seen various exec and employee turnovers. There have been dozens of patents filed for, and granted for, the Apple Car.

The Sellers Research Group (that’s me) has long argued that Apple shouldn’t get into the car business. My opinion is that Apple should concentrate on all its current hardware, software, streaming services, etc., instead of adding a major undertaking such as a car.