- Apple cancels its secretive electric car project, codenamed Project Titan.
- Project Titan struggled with direction, oscillating between electric and autonomous car goals.
- While some staff shift roles, most Titan employees face uncertain future.
Apple has ended its long-running effort to develop an electric autonomous vehicle, codenamed Project Titan, and is laying off hundreds of team members as a result.
The decision was abruptly announced in a 12-minute meeting on Tuesday led by Apple COO Jeff Williams and project lead Kevin Lynch.
Ambition meets uncertainty
Launched in 2014, Project Titan aimed to build a Tesla competitor and boasted over 5,000 dedicated employees at its peak.
However, Apple struggled to settle in a clear direction, oscillating between focusing on an electric car and a fully autonomous one.
This uncertainty ultimately led Apple’s leadership and board to cancel Titan despite its massive investment.
Strategy shifts impact staff
While some staff will shift to other Apple AI projects, most will have 90 days to find a new internal role before release.
Over the years, Apple poached numerous high-profile automotive executives for Project Titan, including from Tesla, Ford, BMW, and Lamborghini. However, constant strategy shifts made it difficult to progress.
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The move comes as major automakers rethink their EV investments amid economic uncertainty. And it eliminates a potential new revenue source for Apple against slowing hardware sales and regulatory threats to services.
Though abrupt, the decision was not entirely surprising given Titan’s long-standing identity issues, per one anonymous team member.
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What’s next for Titan’s team?
By shutting down its electric car ambitions after nearly a decade, Apple bows out of the increasingly competitive auto space.
The thousands of employees who worked on Project Titan now face an uncertain future either within Apple or at new companies.
