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Self-driving test car from Apple: Project “Titan” was on shaky ground from the start

Photo: Andrej Sokolow / dpa

One of the most ambitious projects in Apple's history appears to be history: the company is canceling a years-long attempt to build an electric car, as the Bloomberg news agency reports, citing insiders.

Accordingly, Apple is said to have surprised the approximately 2,000 employees working on the project with the news.

According to Bloomberg, the announcement was not intended for the public.

Apple initially declined to comment.

The decision was delivered by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Vice President Kevin Lynch.

The two managers are said to have informed their employees that the project was gradually coming to an end.

Many of the auto team's employees are expected to be transferred to the artificial intelligence department under chief executive John Giannandrea.

These employees will focus on generative AI projects, which are becoming an increasingly important priority for the company.

It is unclear how many layoffs there will be

The Apple Car team also includes several hundred hardware engineers and vehicle designers.

What will happen next with her professional future is unclear.

Internal applications for jobs in other Apple teams are possible.

But there will also be layoffs - it's just unclear how many.

Investors in Apple shares may have welcomed the decision.

The shares rose about 1 percent to $182.52 after Bloomberg reported the car team's dissolution.

Elon Musk, head of Tesla Inc. and potential competitor to the Apple car, also celebrated the move.

He posted a saluting emoji and a cigarette on X.

For Apple, the swansong of the multibillion-dollar project called “Titan” is a major failure.

The company had already started working on a car in 2014, with the aim of developing a fully autonomous electric vehicle with a limousine-like interior and voice-guided navigation.

There have been rumors about Apple's car project for a long time.

The group is said to have shown initial prototypes to potential partners from the automotive industry years ago, but then, according to media reports, it was decided to focus on software for autonomous driving.

The “Titan” project was on shaky ground from the start.

Apple changed the leadership and strategy of the team several times.

Lynch and Williams took over the company a few years ago - now the project seems to have finally failed.

eru/dpa