According to the New York Times, Apple has invested more than $10 billion in its self-driving car project called “Project Titan” (Note: Currently about 72.1 billion RMB), but the project ultimately failed, and the report disclosed in detail the various problems encountered during the development process of the project.
Apple launched Project Titan in 2014, but the project stagnated for a decade and was finally halted earlier this week. The project cost huge sums of money for research and development and to pay thousands of Apple engineers and automotive experts. According to reports, internal employees were skeptical of the project from the beginning, jokingly calling it the “Titanic Disaster” rather than the official code name of “Project Titan.”
Although the project was approved by Apple CEO Cook, members of the automotive team knew how difficult it would be to succeed. An electric car with self-driving capabilities costs at least $100,000, and margins are slim and competition is fierce.
Apple reportedly held talks with Tesla CEO Elon Musk about acquiring Tesla, but in the end Apple believed it was more feasible to build its own cars than integrate Tesla. As early as 2014, Musk said he had “conversations” with Apple, but at the time he believed an acquisition was “almost impossible.”
According to reports, the failure to find the right leader was another important factor that led to the failure of the project. The program has gone through four leadership changes and expanded and contracted in size multiple times over the past decade. According to reports, the most fundamental reason for the project’s ultimate failure was Apple’s inability to develop the software and algorithms needed for autonomous driving.
It is reported that more than 2,000 employees involved in the project will be reassigned. Some will join other Apple teams to engage in technology research and development such as artificial intelligence, while others will be laid off. Apple will apply lessons learned from its car projects to other devices, such as AI headsets with cameras, robotic assistants and augmented reality devices.
