It’s been reported that Apple has ceased work on its Autonomous Electric Vehicle known as “Project Titan”.
The 2,000 employees who were working on the decade-long project (and who reportedly had a say in the decision to stop work on it) are reported to have been moved to Apple’s generative AI team, other divisions in the company, or laid off.
There’s speculation that the decision to halt the project was based on:
– The low margins the car may deliver in the current market.
– A general re-evaluation and fall in investment in EV’s and EV batteries by other companies, e.g. Tesla, Renault, Polestar (Volvo), and VW.
– Challenges in defining the long-running project’s direction amidst pressures to innovate.
– Internal demands for quicker market entry (for what has been a long-running project), despite potential opportunities to diversify Apple’s revenue streams.