Apple employees spill key details about the death of the Apple Car after $10 billion was spent on it
- The car was likely to cost at least $100,000
- Employees have been re-assigned to work on generative AI
- There were even talks with Elon Musk about acquiring Tesla
Published on Mar 09, 2024 at 9:40 AM (UTC+4)
by Nalin Rawat
Last updated on Mar 08, 2024 at 6:42 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Apple has recently canceled its decade-long Apple car project and re-assigned the 2000 employees working on it.
The car project, which was internally referred to as ‘Project Titan’, is estimated to have cost Apple $10 billion.
While it’s disappointing news for those who wanted to see what an Apple car would look like, the employees’ reaction is the most surprising.
Although the project was internally called ‘Titan’, Apple referred to it as the ‘Titanic disaster.’
Many Apple employees working on the project knew that it was likely to fail.
Throughout its development, the project was scrapped and rebooted several times.
Along the way, several hundred employees were also let go after multiple rounds of layoffs.
The project itself had gone through four leaders each with a different idea of what an Apple car should be.
The project started as an electric vehicle with driving-assistance features to compete against Elon Musk’s Tesla.
It later morphed into a self-driving car to rival Google’s Waymo.
However, by the time of its death, the Apple car project had reverted back to an EV car to rival Tesla.
The project’s decline isn’t a surprise, as Apple has had many difficulties in developing new products since the death of Steve Jobs in 2011.
The project was largely canceled due to difficulties developing the software and algorithms for a car with autonomous driving features.
Six Apple employees familiar with the project also pointed out that the car would likely cost at least $100,000.
They also said that, compared to smartphones and earbuds, it would generate razor-thin profit.
Seeing as the most affordable Tesla would set you back only $42,990, Apple was on the losing side of the battle.
The company also held some discussions with Elon Musk about acquiring Tesla, but it made more sense to build its own car.
Eventually, the car project was canceled and Apple employees have been re-assigned to work on generative AI.
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Nalin started his career by working with various national newspapers in India. He has also worked as a writer/editor for many popular websites, while still pursuing his journalism and mass communication degree. Working as a digital nomad has allowed him to inform and educate through his work. When he is not writing, you can find him playing video games or travelling the mountains on his bike.
