Apple reportedly cut more than 200 jobs across Vision Pro and Siri software teams

Apple has cut over 200 positions across teams responsible for Vision Pro software and Siri development, signaling a strategic pivot away from its mixed-reality headset ambitions toward smart glasses hardware and more advanced artificial intelligence capabilities.

Apple has quietly eliminated more than 200 roles spanning its Vision Pro and Siri engineering divisions, according to recent reports. The move suggests the company is reassessing where it places its bets in two fast-moving technology categories — spatial computing and AI-powered assistants.

The layoffs point to a broader strategic realignment. Apple appears to be deprioritizing further investment in the Vision Pro ecosystem, which has struggled to gain mainstream traction since launching at a steep price point, while simultaneously redirecting resources toward smart glasses — a category rivals like Meta have found early success with. On the AI front, the cuts may reflect a push to rebuild Siri with more competitive, next-generation capabilities rather than iterating on its existing architecture.

Apple has reportedly parted ways with more than 200 employees across two of its most strategically important software divisions — the team behind Vision Pro's operating environment and the engineers working on Siri. The scale of the cuts, while not enormous for a company of Apple's size, carries significant symbolic weight given how central both areas are to the company's future product roadmap.

The Vision Pro, Apple's mixed-reality headset launched in early 2024, has faced persistent questions about its long-term viability. Priced at $3,499, the device attracted enthusiastic early adopters but has not achieved the kind of volume that typically justifies deep ongoing investment. Reducing headcount on the Vision Pro software team suggests Apple may be slowing the cadence of platform development for that device, at least in its current form.

At the same time, Apple's reported pivot toward smart glasses signals it may be taking a page from Meta's playbook. Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have outperformed expectations commercially, demonstrating consumer appetite for lighter, more wearable AI-enabled devices. Apple entering that space would represent a significant shift from its all-in bet on full spatial computing.

The Siri layoffs are perhaps equally telling. Apple has faced sustained criticism that its voice assistant has fallen behind competitors like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and especially ChatGPT-powered tools. Restructuring the Siri team could mean the company is dismantling older approaches to build something more capable from the ground up — a painful but potentially necessary reset.

Why it matters: These layoffs are a rare public signal that even Apple, known for its long-term product conviction, is willing to course-correct when market reality diverges from internal projections. For consumers and developers invested in the Vision Pro ecosystem, the cuts raise legitimate questions about Apple's commitment to the platform. Meanwhile, for the broader AI and wearables industries, Apple's potential move into smart glasses could dramatically reshape competitive dynamics in a space that is still taking shape.