Since late 2022, every major tech company has initiated mass layoffs—with the exception of Apple. But now that is finally about to change. According to information the iPhone maker filed with the State of California’s Employment Development Department, the company is preparing to let go more than 600 employees. Here’s what you need to know about Apple’s first mass layoff in recent years.
Why is Apple laying off employees?
The layoffs appear to mostly involve a specific group of Apple employees—some of those who worked on the company’s electric vehicle project. Apple never publicly acknowledged the existence of its work on an EV, but the company spent nearly a decade trying to bring an Apple Car to market.
However, earlier this year Apple reportedly finally killed off its EV project. Previous reports have said as many as 2,000 employees were working on the company’s car ambitions. Most of the employees being laid off by Apple now seem to be those who worked on its car project.
How many employees are being laid off?
According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing with the State of California’s Employment Development Department, Apple says 614 employees are being laid off. Under California law, companies must file WARN notices with the state at least 60 days before they lay off a large number of employees.
Apple’s WARN notices were filed on March 28, 2024, and have an effective date of May 27, 2024. The notices state that the layoffs are permanent and they will impact 614 employees across eight different Apple locations in Santa Clara, California. Most of these locations are believed to be where Apple Car team members worked.
Is Apple laying off all of its Apple Car employees?
It doesn’t appear so. The company reportedly had around 2,000 employees working on its car project. That means the layoffs will impact about 30% of the Apple Car group. It has been previously reported that some of the Apple Car group has been transferred to other departments within Apple working on artificial intelligence. Apple also reportedly gave Apple Car employees the option of applying for other roles in the company.
Is this the first time Apple has laid off employees since tech layoffs began in 2022?
No, but it is the largest number of employees Apple has laid off at any one time in the past 18 months.
In April 2023, Apple reportedly laid off some of its corporate retail team. However, the number of positions then cut was relatively few.
What has Apple said about the layoffs?
Nothing. The company did not publicly comment on the layoffs beyond filing the required WARN notice. It’s little surprise that Apple didn’t issue a public statement about the layoffs considering that the company never publicly acknowledged its car project in the first place.
Fast Company has reached out to Apple for comment.
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