Apple Reportedly Shutting Down Siri & AI Team In San Diego Comprising Of 121 People, Leaving Them At Risk Of Termination

After successfully attempting to stave off any layoffs in 2023, Apple has finally caved in, and according to the latest report, the company is shutting down a division with 121 individuals working on Siri and artificial intelligence. The operations were held in San Diego, and according to new information, many employees risk losing their livelihoods unless they can switch to the new division in another city.

Former San Diego employees have until the end of February to decide if they will relocate or they will face termination from Apple

The group was known as Data Operations Annotations, and according to Bloomberg, the 121-person team was informed on Wednesday that they would relocate to Austin to merge with the Texas portion of the team. People familiar with the matter, who asked to keep their identities anonymous, also said that these employees have until the end of February to decide if they will relocate, otherwise, they risk losing their jobs on April 26. The Data Operations Annotations group also has offices present in regions such as China, India, Ireland, and Spain.

The people bear the responsibility of improving Siri by listening to queries, but luckily for them, they will not be required to relocate. An Apple spokesperson has said that the Data Operations Annotations team is being relocated to the Austin campus, where most of the team is already based. Employees who do decide to relocate will have the opportunity to resume their current role at Apple.

However, the report states that Apple apparently informed the Siri and AI team about a different plan, stating that the company started distributing packing boxes to employees in January to prepare for a relocation process within San Diego. Instead, much to the employees’ surprise, they now have to shift to Austin, which may not be feasible for everyone.

Some employees have stated that they are unwilling to relocate to Austin, and while Apple has informed them they can apply for other jobs, these individuals do not believe they will be eligible because they do not possess engineering degrees. To make matters less painful for employees who have decided to relocate, Apple is offering $7,000 stipends. In contrast, those who will not shift will see their roles eliminated but will still be offered four weeks of severance pay, an additional week for every year worked at Apple, and six months of health insurance.

Apple has not commented if this decision was made to reduce financial overheads as the company prepares to launch its ChatGPT rival in the year dubbed ‘Apple GPT’ though there are reports that the Cupertino giant will unveil its own Large Language Model in June or July.

News Source: Bloomberg