Apple cut more than 600 California employees after retreating from its car and screen projects

• Apple has cut over 600 employees in California as it pulls back from two major projects.

• The layoffs follow struggles with cost overruns and delays in Apple’s electric car and screen projects.

• Some employees moved to the company’s growing artificial-intelligence division.

As Apple retreats from two ambitious projects, the tech giant has cut more than 600 employees in California, per filings with the state.

On Tuesday, Apple filed a series of notices with the state about layoffs effective in late May for various Santa Clara offices. Bloomberg reported that one of the addresses was home to a new display development office, while the others were for the company’s electric car effort.

The layoffs are likely an undercount of the full scope of staff cuts, because Apple had staff working on these projects in other states and countries — although some staff were kept on and reassigned to other projects, Bloomberg noted.

In late February, Apple told the 2,000 employees working on its electric car that the project would wind down, Bloomberg first reported. Some of the staff would be moved to the company’s artificial-intelligence division, a growing area of focus for many tech companies.

Cost overruns and launch delays hurt Apple’s EV project, part of the industry’s broader struggle with technology, profitability, and consumer interest.

The company also decided to sunset its attempt to make next-generation screens for the Apple Watch in-house. That project was similarly stymied by cost overruns and launch delays.

Apple employed 161,000 people full-time as of September 30, per its annual report.

The company did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside normal business hours.

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