Why Apple Is Cutting 200+ Jobs From Vision Pro and Siri Teams
By Thasmiya
Apple is cutting more than **200 jobs** across teams working on **Vision Pro, Siri, artificial intelligence and software engineering**, as the company shifts resources toward newer AI products and next-generation devices.
The restructuring affects roughly **100 roles in the Vision Pro organisation** and around **100 positions across Siri and software teams**, including Apple’s Intelligent Systems Experience group, which works on AI-powered features across its devices. ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/apple-is-reportedly-cutting-hundreds-of-jobs-from-siri-vision-pro-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Apple says the changes are part of an effort to “evolve” its business and better align teams with future products. The company also says new roles will be created even as some existing positions are eliminated. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/21/apple-lays-off-200-people-across-vision-pro-and-siri-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
## **Why is Apple cutting Vision Pro jobs?**
The biggest changes are happening inside the Vision Pro organisation.
Apple is reportedly **largely shutting down the Vision Pro gaming team** and reducing the size of the group responsible for producing Apple Immersive Video content. Around 100 Vision Pro-related positions are being affected. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/21/apple-lays-off-200-people-across-vision-pro-and-siri-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
One of the main reasons appears to be the cost of producing immersive content compared with the relatively limited number of active Vision Pro users.
Reports say some immersive video productions can cost millions of dollars, making the model difficult to justify at scale when the headset has not reached a mass-market audience. ([MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/21/apple-guts-vision-pro-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
## **Is Apple abandoning Vision Pro?**
No.
Employees have reportedly been told that **Vision Pro and visionOS are not being discontinued**. Apple still plans to support the platform and is considering another Vision Pro model for the future. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/21/apple-lays-off-200-people-across-vision-pro-and-siri-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
However, the company appears to be changing how much money and manpower it puts into certain parts of the ecosystem.
Instead of heavily funding in-house gaming and immersive video production, Apple plans to create fewer immersive videos itself and encourage more third-party developers and studios to produce content. ([MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/21/apple-guts-vision-pro-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
## **Apple is shifting attention toward smart glasses**
The Vision Pro cuts also reflect Apple’s changing hardware priorities.
Reports indicate that Apple is focusing more heavily on **lighter smart glasses and future wearable devices**, which could potentially reach a much broader audience than the Vision Pro headset. ([The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/983451/apple-layoffs-vision-pro-siri?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
That does not necessarily mean Vision Pro has failed completely. Instead, Apple appears to be treating it more as a specialist product while directing more resources toward devices that could eventually become mainstream.
## **Why is Apple also cutting Siri jobs?**
The Siri cuts are part of a different type of restructuring.
Apple has been rebuilding Siri around a **new AI architecture**, and the updated platform requires different technical skills from the teams that worked on previous generations of Siri.
As a result, Apple is eliminating some existing roles while creating new positions that better fit the company’s updated AI strategy. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/21/apple-lays-off-200-people-across-vision-pro-and-siri-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
The cuts also affect the **Intelligent Systems Experience** team, which works on AI-powered capabilities across apps, features and services.
## **This is more of a reallocation than a retreat from AI**
The job cuts do not appear to signal that Apple is reducing its overall AI investment.
In fact, the opposite appears to be happening.
Apple is reorganising staff so that more resources can be directed toward new AI features, the next generation of Siri and future devices.
TechCrunch reported that Apple is reshuffling its teams to focus on newer AI efforts and new hardware, while still creating new roles as part of the change. ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/21/apple-is-reportedly-cutting-hundreds-of-jobs-from-siri-vision-pro-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
## **Why Apple’s Siri strategy is changing**
Apple’s Siri strategy has undergone a major reset.
The company has been working to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware and more capable of interacting with apps and personal information.
That requires a different technical foundation from the older Siri system, which helps explain why some roles are being removed while new ones are being created.
Apple’s broader goal appears to be moving Siri closer to the new generation of AI assistants rather than keeping it as a traditional voice-command system.
## **Why Vision Pro struggled to become mainstream**
Vision Pro launched as one of Apple’s most ambitious products, but its high price and limited everyday use cases have restricted mainstream adoption.
The headset launched in 2024 with a price around **US$3,499**, placing it far above most consumer VR and mixed-reality devices. ([The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/tech/983451/apple-layoffs-vision-pro-siri?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Apple positioned Vision Pro as a spatial computing platform rather than simply a VR headset, but building an entire ecosystem of immersive apps, games and video content has proved expensive.
This appears to be why Apple is now reducing investment in some of the areas that have not attracted enough users.
## **What happens to affected employees?**
Apple says affected employees will receive support during the transition.
The company has said workers will have opportunities to apply for other positions within Apple, while new roles are being created in areas that align more closely with the company’s updated priorities. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/21/apple-lays-off-200-people-across-vision-pro-and-siri-teams/?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
This suggests that some of the restructuring is about shifting expertise rather than simply reducing overall headcount.
## **Is this a major Apple layoff?**
By Big Tech standards, the number is relatively small.
Apple had approximately 166,000 employees as of September 2025, according to recent reporting. The more than 200 positions affected represent only a small percentage of the company’s total workforce. ([San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/apple-s-rare-layoffs-hit-147-bay-area-workers-22403351.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com))
Apple has historically avoided the large-scale layoffs seen at companies such as Meta, Google and Amazon, making even smaller rounds of cuts more noticeable.
## **What this says about Apple’s future**
The restructuring gives a clearer picture of where Apple believes its biggest opportunities are.
The company appears to be prioritising:
AI-powered Siri and Apple Intelligence.
Smart glasses and lighter wearable devices.
AI features integrated across apps and services.
New hardware categories with a broader potential audience.
A smaller and more focused Vision Pro ecosystem.
This suggests Apple is moving resources away from expensive projects with limited usage and toward products it believes could reach hundreds of millions of customers.
## **Why this matters**
Apple’s 200-plus job cuts are important not because of the number of employees involved, but because of where those cuts are happening.
Vision Pro was once presented as the beginning of a major new computing platform, while Siri remains one of Apple’s most visible AI products.
Reducing teams in both areas shows that Apple is willing to rethink major projects when customer behaviour or technology priorities change.
Vision Pro is not disappearing, and Siri is not being abandoned. Instead, Apple is reshaping both around a future that increasingly revolves around **AI, smart glasses and more mainstream wearable technology**.
## **Source Credits**
Information source/resource owners: Bloomberg, Apple, TechCrunch, The Verge, MacRumors, 9to5Mac, San Francisco Chronicle and Gulf News.
## **Image Credits**
Image credit/resource owners: Apple, TechCrunch, The Verge, Bloomberg and Getty Images.