Apple cuts more than 200 Siri and Vision Pro jobs
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Apple has confirmed it is cutting more than 200 jobs across its Siri and Vision Pro teams, according to a Bloomberg report, in a restructuring that includes largely shutting down the Vision Pro gaming unit and shrinking the team behind the headset's immersive content. Apple told Bloomberg the changes are meant "to evolve our business to deliver the best experiences for our users," adding that new roles will also be created elsewhere, though it has not responded directly to The Verge's request for comment.
The cuts underline the underwhelming reception of the $3,499 Vision Pro, which launched in early 2024 as Apple's flagship spatial-computing device but has struggled to gain traction, despite an M5 chip update last year. Apple is reportedly still developing a slimmer, lighter successor headset, though it has also suspended work with Samsung Display on an entry-level XR model, and is said to be preparing smart glasses to rival Meta's, expected to be announced at WWDC in 2027. Meanwhile, Apple's long-delayed, AI-powered Siri overhaul finally debuted at this year's WWDC and is due to reach public beta later in 2026.
- Apple confirms over 200 job cuts on Siri and Vision Pro teams
- Vision Pro gaming unit largely shut down amid weak headset sales
- Apple plots smart glasses and a lighter headset for the future
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Apple has confirmed it is cutting more than 200 staff working on Siri, its voice assistant, and Vision Pro, its headset device. The cuts affect the team building games for the headset and those creating its immersive content. Apple says the changes are meant to help it "evolve" the business, and that new roles will be created in other areas.
Vision Pro is Apple's $3,499 headset, launched in early 2024 as its entry into so-called spatial computing, a term for devices that blend digital images with the real world. It has struggled to find a wide audience despite a processor upgrade last year, and Apple is reportedly working on a lighter successor as well as smart glasses to compete with rival products from Meta.
Siri is Apple's long-standing voice assistant, and the company has been working on a major, AI-driven upgrade to it that was delayed for some time before finally being shown off this year. That new version is expected to become widely available later in 2026, and the job cuts come as Apple reshapes the teams working on both this software and its hardware ambitions.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates of the restructuring would argue that a disciplined company must be willing to reallocate resources away from underperforming bets, and the Vision Pro's poor sales after more than two years on the market are a clear signal that the gaming and immersive-content investment was not paying off. Redirecting talent and budget towards Siri's AI overhaul and next-generation smart glasses reflects prudent stewardship of shareholder capital, focusing effort where consumer demand and competitive pressure from rivals like Meta are strongest. Apple's assurance that new roles will be created elsewhere suggests this is a strategic pivot rather than a simple retreat, and continuing to develop a slimmer headset shows commitment to the category rather than abandonment of it.
The case against
Critics of the cuts would argue that abandoning the Vision Pro's gaming and immersive-content ambitions barely two years after launch signals a worrying lack of patience with genuinely novel hardware, which historically takes Apple products several iterations to mature, as seen with the original iPhone and Apple Watch. They would point out that more than 200 people are losing their jobs for a strategic bet that Apple itself chose to make, and that scaling back investment now risks ceding the emerging spatial-computing and mixed-reality market to competitors just as the technology begins to find its footing. There is also concern that shrinking the content and gaming teams undermines the very ecosystem needed to make any future, cheaper headset compelling to consumers.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Apple is laying off staffers working on the Vision Pro and Siri”.