More tech layoffs are in the works as Apple and Amazon lay off hundreds of workers.
Apple announced Friday that it will lay off more than 600 workers in California, starting May 27, according to a state document.
This is the first major wave of layoffs for Apple since the pandemic, something CEO Tim Cook called a “last resort” in May 2023.
Related: Apple is reportedly starting a small round of layoffs
“Mass layoffs are not something we are talking about right now,” Cook said at the time. “We continue to be extremely conservative about hiring. We continue to hire, just at a lower level than before. And we’re doing all the right things to question the expenses that we spend, and “we’re just looking for some other way to save money.” “
The layoffs follow Apple’s decision to cancel its decade-long project to create an electric, self-driving car. The workers in charge of the project were part of a team called the “Special Projects Group”.
Friday’s statement didn’t mention the group by name, but the layoffs affect one of Apple’s satellite offices and not its headquarters, meaning the roles cut could be from a special project.
Amazon, meanwhile, announced Wednesday that it will cut hundreds of jobs at its cloud computing division, AWS.
“These decisions are difficult but necessary as we continue to invest, hire and optimize resources to deliver innovation to our customers,” Amazon spokesperson Duncan Neasham said in a statement for NPR.
The cut roles oversee technology in physical stores and the global sales, marketing and services organization within AWS.
Related: Amazon fires hundreds of Prime, Twitch, MGM employees
The job cuts come just days after Amazon announced it would cancel “Just Walk Out” payment options at its grocery stores.
According to data collected by TechCrunchthe total number of tech layoffs in 2023 was approximately 262,735, up 59% from the previous year.