Apple CEO Tim Cook waves the checkered flag at the winner’s race at the United States Formula One Grand Prix Circuit in Austin, Texas on October 23, 2022.
Mike Segar | Reuters
An apple will wind down its team working on electric cars, called the Special Projects Group, according to to Bloomberg.
The news signals that Apple will end its secretive efforts to create a car to compete Tesla. The program employed thousands of people but never fit into Apple’s core business of electronics and online services, and raised questions about which companies Apple would use to build a car.
Reports of Apple’s ambition to make the first car appeared in 2014 after the company hired automotive engineers and other talent from automotive companies. There has been little public indication of the company’s plans, but Apple is running a program in which Apple-owned autonomous cars equipped with sensors and driven by safety drivers drive around the San Francisco Bay Area.
The department has had several reorganizations over the years, including layoffs in 2019 when employees were moved to different parts of the company. Some Apple employees in the company’s automotive division may move to a generative artificial intelligence team, according to Bloomberg.
The company also has other automotive-related projects, including the infotainment-oriented CarPlay software.
Apple shares rose about 1% on the news. Apple declined to comment.
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