Apple has reportedly decided to discontinue its efforts to develop an electric car, known internally as ‘Project Titan,’ after investing nearly a decade and billions of dollars into the project.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Apple informed its employees internally about the cancellation of its electric vehicle initiative, surprising nearly 2,000 workers who had been involved in the project.
The report indicated that some employees would be reassigned to focus on Apple’s generative artificial intelligence division, while others would be laid off.
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment from FOX Business regarding the report.
Rumors about Apple’s pursuit of an autonomous electric vehicle to compete with Tesla have circulated for years, with initial reports emerging as early as 2015, as per The Verge. In an interview with Bloomberg at the time, Apple CEO Tim Cook referred to the project as “the mother of all AI projects” and described it as “probably one of the most difficult AI projects.”
In 2015, Apple secured a permit from the state of California to conduct testing of vehicles equipped with self-driving technology on public roads.
