Apple’s latest cuts feel less like a routine reshuffle and more like a cleanup before a new CEO takes the wheel.
Apple is laying off roughly 200 employees in roles connected to Siri and Vision Pro, just days before John Ternus officially takes over as CEO from Tim Cook on September 1, 2026.
According to Fortune, the affected roles include staff working on Apple’s Siri digital assistant and Vision Pro headset, two areas where the company has faced pressure to prove that its big bets can still compete.
Apple Cuts Jobs Across Siri and Vision Pro Teams
Fortune reported that the cuts will essentially shut down a team that worked on games for the Vision Pro headset and reduce another group focused on 3D video content.
Another major group of affected employees reportedly worked on Siri features.
That part matters because Siri has become one of Apple’s most closely watched products as the company tries to catch up in the AI race.
Apple told Bloomberg, through a statement quoted by Fortune, that it was realigning some teams to evolve the business and deliver better user experiences. The company also said it will create new roles as part of the change, though a limited number of existing roles will be affected.
Why the Timing Matters
The layoffs come at a sensitive moment for Apple.
Apple announced in April that Tim Cook will become executive chairman of the company’s board, while John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become CEO effective September 1, 2026.
That puts the job cuts less than two weeks before Apple’s biggest leadership transition in 15 years.
Fortune noted that the cuts are small compared with Apple’s total workforce, but the timing suggests the company may be clearing difficult decisions before Ternus starts his CEO term.
Siri and Vision Pro Are Under Pressure
Siri has become a major test of Apple’s AI strategy. While rivals have moved quickly with chatbot-style assistants and generative AI tools, Apple has been criticized for moving more slowly with its own voice assistant.
Vision Pro is facing a different problem.
Apple launched Vision Pro as a major new product category, but the headset’s high price and limited mainstream adoption have kept questions alive about how big the market really is. Cutting back teams tied to Vision Pro gaming and immersive video suggests Apple may be narrowing its focus rather than abandoning the platform entirely.
John Ternus Inherits a More Focused Apple
Ternus is not an outsider coming in to shake Apple from the outside. He has been with the company for more than 25 years and has led hardware engineering work across iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and Apple Watch.
Apple said the CEO transition was approved unanimously by its board and followed a long-term succession planning process.
That makes these cuts more interesting. They do not look like chaos. They look like Apple trying to tighten priorities before handing the company to a hardware leader at a time when AI and new devices are becoming harder to separate.
What Happens Next
As of this writing, Apple has not announced a broader layoff plan or any major public change to Siri or Vision Pro strategy.
The immediate question is whether these cuts are just a limited realignment, or an early sign of how Ternus plans to run Apple after Cook steps aside.
For now, Apple is trimming around two of its most scrutinized product areas right before a new CEO takes charge. That is not just a staffing update. It is a signal.
via: Fortune | Apple Newsroom
