Apple Cuts 200+ Employees From 'Project Titan' Autonomous Car Team

[HiVolt]

A car is no longer just a mean of transportation. It's getting smarter and more personal. A smart autonomous car which can take its owner everywhere without a driver is the future. For example, an apple car that connect to apple watch, which know the owner's health, can take the owner to the hospital in case it detect illness. You don't know what a smart car can do until they show you, just like you didn't know what a smart phone was capable of until Apple shows us.

Wireless router, monitors,... are old stuffs. There are others who can do these better than Apple. These are not Apple's core business anymore. And it takes a lot of effort to enter and lead an existing market.

In order to lead the world and open new chapter, Apple need to enter another new market first, just like it did with the iPod, iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. There's a lot of risk in new market, but the opportunity is high.

Microsoft and Google are also researching the autonomous vehicles market (Google is doing it). If Apple doesn't do it, Apple will fall behind once Microsoft and Google make their own autonomous car or cooperate with an auto manufacturer.

The autonomous vehicle involves AI, which is Apple's focus now. Apple has been working hard on AI lately, so definitely it needs to at least own an autonomous vehicles software.

The issue is, that car manufacturers have shown that they like to control the infotainment experience. Working with Apple is not going to allow them the same degree of control, as Apple itself is extremely controlling with the UI, something iOS & MacOS users have experienced over the years.

Apple may just choose to develop the core technologies behind AI driving, but they should not be getting into the whole vehicle infotainment business.

 

[AxiomaticRubric]

A machine learning development server at Apple attains self-awareness....

Apple employees arriving at work one morning see an ominous message appear on all company-owned iPhones, iPads, and Macs.....

All your Jobs are belong to us!

 

[timber]

I wouldn't say the one thing they do well is computers, it's proprietary software for their hardware.

I agree. The way you put it is clearer. With computers it seems I am only meaning hardware. Software is just as important. Probably more.

 

[I7guy]

Those who didn’t get laid off were re-assigned to the emoji/Animoji department

And now iohone, max and the related software will suffer because Apple doesn’t have enough people-power to work on development and emojis st the same time./s

 

[JustMartin]

Perhaps Apple are treating the whole car project as a 'moonshot' - that is a large scale exercise that actually delivers more in side-effects than it does in the supposed main goal. Sounds like there's possibly a couple of applications that have arisen from the car project and they're hiving off teams to get that started. The car is not the point, autonomous learning systems are the point.

 

[AlumaMac]

Why would you start trying to build an entire car, then backtrack? You would think they'd evaluate it before wasting resources and time.

I guess you haven't spent anytime in a dysfunctional corporation with cash to burn. Like many CEO's before him, TC isn't a leader that possesses a focused vision other than 'growth for growths sake'. This pursuit of growth (combined with their arrogance of past success) blinds many within the organization to the realities and pitfalls of new projects. Not to mention the negative effect it has on actually producing great products.

 

[macguru212]

Maybe this was actually a money laundering project for Apple's more illicit activities.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Aptly put. I was thinking this as well. Additionally, it is very hard when developing highly technical products (in Apple's case technical re: size & design w/ std parts) to maintain the rigor & processes needed to ensure quality, reliability, real innovation, etc. Looking at the obvious engineering issues affecting MBP display cables, really put the nail in the coffin for me re: my next MBP. What type of organization makes that decision?

I guess you haven't spent anytime in a dysfunctional corporation with cash to burn. Like many CEO's before him, TC isn't a leader that possesses a focused vision other than 'growth for growths sake'. This pursuit of growth (combined with their arrogance of past success) blinds many within the organization to the realities and pitfalls of new projects. Not to mention the negative effect it has on actually producing great products.

 

[hawkeye_a]

Onto the next buzz-word tech that Tim chooses. Augment reality is his 'next big thing', right?

 

[AlumaMac]

Onto the next buzz-word tech that Tim chooses. Augment reality is his 'next big thing', right?

He's moved on to 'health'.

 

[Baymowe335]

The recent revenue guidance really has them shook. Looks like they are cutting high cost programs for shareholders. Unfortunately, iPhone is at peak saturation.

Shareholders don’t want them building cars.

 

[Doomtomb]

Cars are easy.

Autonomous driving systems are hard.

 

[Baymowe335]

Let’s leave that to Elon

Yeah, he’s great at losing money in a terrible, capital intensive business with insane competition from better brands like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Honda, Toyota, and GM.

 

[DeepIn2U]

The recent revenue guidance really has them shook. Looks like they are cutting high cost programs for shareholders. Unfortunately, iPhone is at peak saturation.

"conjecture" as once someone on the boards a few weeks ago said to me on the first news about revenue guidance warning from Cook when I stated similar views. I agree on your take though.

I never fully believed Apple was working an a "car" vs just updating Maps + Location Services (similar to Do Not Disturb update from 2018) etc. And the news release stating "autonomous systems" goes to show this as well. I personally believe Apple's plan was to have iOS be the root system and connect to an existing car's sensors to ... augment the personal experience of driving as a whole (be it assisted, informed, or autonomous driving).

 

[AlumaMac]

Yeah, he’s great at losing money in a terrible, capital intensive business with insane competition from better brands like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Honda, Toyota, and GM.

Agreed. There will most likely be a lot of consolidation in the auto industry in the coming years and I doubt Tesla will be a main player. They'll just get absorbed by the few big players that are left.

 

[Baymowe335]

Agreed. There will most likely be a lot of consolidation in the auto industry in the coming years and I doubt Tesla will be a main player. They'll just get absorbed by the few big players that are left.

And Tesla just laid off 7% of their workforce. It's not easy.

Apple is a great company, but part of what makes them great is knowing when to walk away from a terrible business. Capital intensive businesses are awful.

 

[tridley68]

This is sad for the workers but lil Timmy and his stock holders will make record stock options and bloated salaries.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Market analysis showed there was little consumer interest in a car that was too thin for a human.

 

[TrentS]

The "KEY" to making battery powered autos ( EV's ) compete against internal combustion engine autos, is making the batteries interchangeable.

When an owner of a gas powered auto runs low on fuel, he doesn't go home and put on a hazmat suit and begin to mix chemicals to create this fuel. He just goes to a gas station where the fuel is already ready to go. He just pull up to the pump, fill it with however many gallons he needs. And 5 minutes later, he's off and running.

It should be the same way with an EV. Pull up to a battery station, roll up a "batter loader" to your car. Slide out your depleted battery onto the loader. Put it aside. Then roll a newly charged battery on another loader, and slide that one into your car. And you're off and running in about the same 5 minutes, equipped with a fully charged battery. In the meantime, your old battery gets charged up at the battery station, ready to go for a future EV customer.

It's all about "standardized quick change battery modules". If every EV manufacture designed their electric car with a standardized battery, the whole EV industry would thrive!



Heck, Apple or Tesla should hire me!


PS - And I'm sure, in the future, the changing of the battery modules at these battery stations will be performed by robots. "BOOM", you're done in 2 minutes!

 

[Princejb134]

Why would you start trying to build an entire car, then backtrack? You would think they'd evaluate it before wasting resources and time.

Clearly, they thought otherwise when hiring more than 200 employees (including former Tesla employees) for said project.

who said they were building a car though? Those were just rumors.

 

[Baymowe335]

I guess you haven't spent anytime in a dysfunctional corporation with cash to burn. Like many CEO's before him, TC isn't a leader that possesses a focused vision other than 'growth for growths sake'. This pursuit of growth (combined with their arrogance of past success) blinds many within the organization to the realities and pitfalls of new projects. Not to mention the negative effect it has on actually producing great products.

Nice speculation.

Name a more successful company producing better products than Apple.
[doublepost=1548342484][/doublepost]

Why would you start trying to build an entire car, then backtrack? You would think they'd evaluate it before wasting resources and time.

Clearly, they thought otherwise when hiring more than 200 employees (including former Tesla employees) for said project.

No one really knows what they are doing, so you're just speculating like everyone else.

200 employees is a rounding error for a company like Apple. According to this, some were reassigned. Big projects don't always get off the ground, but it doesn't really hurt to try. Like I said, 200 employees making $100,000/yr is $20M/yr. Double that for healthcare, benefits, etc and it's $40M.

Apple spends more than $1B/month on R&D.

I'm not saying there is no waste, but this is small potatoes and we really don't know what's going on.

Contrast that with Elon Musk losing billions every year and you'll see it's better to stop when you know this isn't the game for you.

 

[Sasparilla]

2023-2025 Should get the cost of batteries down low enough so that Accord / Camry prices (high $20k's low $30k's) for EV's with 200 mile plus range would be practical (we're still a ways from that now).

So the timing actually looks good that way. The mainline auto mfrs have seem to all decided that exploiting their customer's location driving data for monetization is the way of the future (Toyota is the only one who seems even slightly reticent about this, hence the delay on Google car link - not sure about Tesla).

So having an Apple option for an EV would be great (quite likely the only EV that gives the customer driving privacy, which would guarantee marketshare). That said I'd like it better not to be hearing they're dropping people from it.

 

[first-to-tea]

Did anyone read the article?

It’s important people read the article, not the headline and make up their own story.
[doublepost=1548343145][/doublepost]The fact that Apple owns a very refined operating system and webrowser strikes me as something of a competitive edge.

 

[tCdemon]

I wonder if they will auction off or sell the Lexus' vehicle (minus their system) they used on the project!

 

[queshy]

Lol, if Apple can’t even deliver the AirPower, a charging mat, how will they ever deliver a full car?