Apple 'fires' entire VR team as John Ternus takes over as CEO from Tim Cook
Apple has reportedly laid off a significant portion of its virtual reality team as the company scales back its focus on the Vision Pro headset. Despite high-profile marketing, the product has struggled with low sales and high production costs, leading to a shift in strategy under incoming CEO John Ternus.
Why it matters
This move signals a potential cooling of the 'spatial computing' hype cycle and highlights the challenges of mass-market adoption for high-end VR hardware.
Apple has laid off at least 60 employees tied to its virtual reality effort, AppleInsider reported on Thursday, citing a reliable source. The publication says an entire team dedicated to VR development was cut, covering staff attached to the Apple Vision Group and similar roles. Apple has not commented on the report, and AppleInsider notes the wider group has not been dissolved.Look at when this is happening. John Ternus becomes Apple's chief executive on September 1, taking over from Tim Cook, who shifts to executive chairman. The product now being quietly trimmed is the one Cook sold to the world in February 2024 as "tomorrow's technology today," a $3,499 headset he described as magical and backed with a claim of 5,000 patents and a million compatible apps on day one.
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