Tech giant Apple is undergoing a significant restructuring, affecting a 121-person team dedicated to enhancing Siri, its virtual assistant. The team, based in San Diego, is now faced with a relocation mandate to merge with their Texas counterparts in Austin. This move, however, has raised concerns as employees not opting for relocation risk termination.
Apple has given employees until the end of February to decide on relocating to Austin. Those choosing not to move face termination on April 26. The affected team also has international offices in China, India, Ireland, and Spain.
An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the decision, stating that the company is consolidating its “Data Operations Annotations teams in the US together at our campus in Austin, where a majority of the team is already based.” The restructuring might result in several dozen workers departing the company. Apple, with approximately 161,000 employees as of September, has largely avoided layoffs amid the pandemic, distinguishing itself from many of its industry peers.