Apple Announces Shutdown of San Diego AI Team with Employee Relocation

Apple has decided to disband its Data Operations Annotations team in San Diego. The group consisted of 121 employees responsible for advancing the company’s AI operations, particularly enhancing Siri through voice service queries. This surprising relocation of the team to Austin, merging with the Texas branch has caught many employees off guard and raised concerns about job loss for those unwilling to relocate.

Originally the team comprised contractors responsible for listening to Siri queries, the team was later transitioned to full-time employees in 2019. Their specialization encompassed multiple languages including Hebrew, English, various Spanish dialects, Portuguese, Arabic, and French. The unexpected announcement to relocate the San Diego team came from a top deputy to Apple’s AI chief, John Giannandrea aiming to consolidate the Data Operations Annotations teams in the U.S. at the Austin campus.

Now, the employees working in San Diego are required to relocate by the end of February with those choosing not to relocate facing termination by 26^th April. As the notice came out many affected employees expressed their reluctance to move to Austin citing concerns about eligibility for roles due to a lack of engineering backgrounds.

Apple has assured employee assistance and has offered a $7000 relocation stipend for employees moving to Austin by the end of June. However, those declining the relocation face role elimination, with severance pay based on service length and six months of health insurance.

The decision to relocate has sparked concerns and resistance among the affected workforce. Earlier indications suggested relocation to a new Apple campus in the region, but the shift to Texas has left employees grappling with unexpected choices and uncertainties about their professional futures.

While the tech industry has been witnessing significant layoffs in tech companies, Apple has largely avoided them until now. Some corporate retail jobs and recruiters were cut last April. Still, the recent decision regarding the AI team could potentially lead to the departure of some employees from the company.

In conclusion, Apple’s move to disband its San Diego AI team and relocate employees to Austin marks a significant shift in the company’s operational strategy. The decision underscores the challenges of navigating workforce dynamics and technological advancements, especially in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence.