--- title: "It Sounds Like the Apple Car Is in Serious Trouble" description: "Shrinking Teams Rumors of an Apple car have been floating around for years now. The project has always been under tight wraps with very few details making it out to the public. But despite some reports that the tech company is working with manufacturers to realize its first passenger vehicle, the project may be in […]" date: "2021-06-07" modified: "2021-06-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/apple-car-trouble" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "apple" - "apple car" - "Self-driving cars" - "the digest" --- # It Sounds Like the Apple Car Is in Serious Trouble ![Following recent reports that Apple is working with manufacturers to realize its first passenger vehicle, top managers are leaving the division in droves.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Shrinking Teams Rumors of an Apple car have been floating around for years now. The project has always been under tight wraps ,with very few details making it out to the public. But despite [some reports]() that the tech company is working with manufacturers to realize its first passenger vehicle, the project may now be in serious trouble before even really getting started, as [*Bloomberg* reported]() last week. The company reportedly lost multiple top managers at its self-driving car team over the last couple of months, putting a large-scale project of the most valuable company on thin ice *—* a bruising setback on the same week that the company [heaps praise on itself]() at its annual developers conference. ## Making a Car Apple's car division has grown over the years to several hundred engineers working on autonomous driving technologies. The division is being run by ex-Tesla employee Doug Field, according to *Bloomberg —* but three top managers of his team have now reportedly left. Benjamin Lyon, a founder of the original car team, left for a satellite startup back in February, while a former robotics lead, Dave Scott, left for a next-generation MRI healthcare company. Jaime Waydo, a car safety lead, left for a competing startup as well. An Apple car is still many years out — that is, if the company does ever decide to definitively wade into the automotive industry. [*Reuters* reported]() in April that the company is eyeing 2024 for a release. But the recent departures could make that even more unlikely. **READ MORE:** [Apple Loses Multiple Top Managers From Self-Driving Car Division]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on Apple:** *[The CEO of Apple Thinks People Will Use Augmented Reality for Something Absolutely Hilarious]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()