Apple Relocates Siri Team; Potential Layoffs Imminent

Apple is set to merge its San Diego Siri quality control team of 121 employees with a team in Austin, Texas. Bloomberg reports that employees who choose not to relocate could face termination as of April 26. This move comes as a surprise to the staff, who were initially informed of a relocation to another San Diego campus by January’s end, rather than a move to Texas.

The company has offered the team, responsible for reviewing Siri interactions in languages like Hebrew, English, Spanish, and Arabic, the chance to continue their roles in Austin. Employees uncertain about qualifying for other Apple roles in San Diego have been told they can apply for different positions within the company. Most, however, do not plan to move, a decision influenced by the sudden nature of the announcement.

Apple’s approach differs from outright layoffs, a strategy the company has largely avoided in the past two years, unlike many of its counterparts. For employees agreeing to relocate, Apple will provide a $7,000 stipend. Those who don’t move will receive four weeks of severance pay, an additional week’s pay for each year of service, and six months of health insurance.

Despite utilizing human quality checks for Siri, Apple is often seen as trailing in AI innovation, especially concerning its digital assistant. The company is vigorously investing in catching up, including efforts to acquire training data from news outlets and developing AI frameworks and libraries. Apple is also optimizing Large Language Models (LLMs) for iPhone use and is expected to unveil its LLM strategy in June.