Apple is scaling back work on its own electric car, abandoning one of the most ambitious projects in the company’s history. This was reported by Bloomberg, citing knowledgeable sources.

According to the people, who asked not to be identified, Apple did this on Tuesday. In doing so, the tech giant surprised nearly 2,000 employees who had been working on the project.

According to them, the decision was made jointly by COO Jeff Williams and Vice President Kevin Lynch, who is in charge of the project.

Both executives told employees that the project would be scaled back. And many employees of the automotive team, known as the Special Projects Group (SPG), will be transferred to the artificial intelligence division led by John Giannandrea. Here, they will focus on generative AI projects.

Apple’s automotive team also includes several hundred hardware engineers and vehicle designers. It is possible that they will be able to apply for jobs in other teams of the company. Layoffs are unavoidable, but it is not yet clear how many employees will be laid off.

According to people in the know, Apple’s management has finally decided to shut down the project in recent weeks. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has already reacted to the news and posted cigar and saluting face emojis on his X platform account.

The project began to take shape in 2014 and has been changing and evolving since then. In January, it became known that the company was changing its plans to create a fully self-driving car. After years of effort, the company’s intentions have become less ambitious. Then it was reported that Apple had postponed the release of its self-driving electric car until 2028.