Apple eliminates Siri, Vision Pro, and gaming positions
Apple Inc. is reducing its workforce in teams associated with the Siri digital assistant and the Vision Pro headset, as part of a strategic initiative to concentrate on new devices and advancements in artificial intelligence. Apple is also laying off employees in its Intelligent Systems Experience, a team within its software engineering organization responsible for some of the AI features on its devices, according to individuals familiar with the situation. As part of the changes, the company is significantly downsizing a Vision Pro team dedicated to gaming for the headset and scaling back a unit responsible for generating the device’s immersive video content, according to sources. In total, the reductions impact over 200 individuals, with approximately 100 roles removed from the Vision Pro division and an additional 100 from the Siri and software teams. In a statement, Apple acknowledged that it was realigning some teams “to evolve our business to deliver the best experiences for our users.”
“While we will create new roles as part of this change, it will also impact a limited number of existing roles,” the company said. “We are grateful to these team members for their contributions, and we are committed to supporting them throughout their transition, including opportunities to apply for other roles at Apple.” The Siri reshuffling is associated with an impending AI-enhanced iteration of the assistant, constructed on a novel technical framework. The shift necessitates a transformation in the requisite expertise, leading the company to reduce a limited number of current roles, reassign resources, and establish new positions that align with the enhanced Siri. The adjustments made to the Intelligent Systems Experience team signify a strategic initiative to streamline efforts focused on AI-driven functionalities. As various entities integrate AI capabilities into applications, features, and services, Apple is restructuring its teams to align with strategic priorities and expedite development. The restructuring will result in the elimination of certain existing positions, concurrently generating new roles.
The Vision Pro changes were characterised to employees as a strategic effort to realign priorities in accordance with customer usage patterns of the device, while also optimising resource allocation for forthcoming products. Immersive video has served as a pivotal selling proposition for the Vision Pro since its introduction. Producing each 3D video necessitates the involvement of multiple teams comprised of Apple employees and contractors, with the cost of filming an episode in an immersive video series reaching several million dollars. Those expenses have placed significant pressure on the business due to the constrained pool of active Vision Pro users. The Vision Pro was regarded as a revolutionary product upon its launch in February 2024; however, the unwieldy design of the headset, coupled with its current price of $3,699, has rendered it a challenging proposition for consumers. Apple is not completely forsaking immersive video.
The company intends to reduce its in-house video production while promoting the development of content for the device by third-party companies. Despite Apple’s commitment to a dedicated team for gaming features in the Vision Pro, the headset has not achieved significant popularity within the gaming community. The company has informed employees that the Vision Pro and its visionOS operating system will remain in the market. In the near term, Apple is concentrating on the introduction of smart glasses that will not accommodate immersive video or sophisticated gaming titles. The company is currently evaluating the potential for a new Vision Pro model, with a possible release timeline extending to the end of 2028, according to reports.
