Apple Cuts 200 Siri and Vision Pro Roles in AI Strategy Pivot

Apple confirmed on August 22, 2026 that it is cutting more than 200 positions across its Siri voice assistant team, the Vision Pro division, and the Intelligent Systems Experience group. The restructuring, first reported by Bloomberg, signals a pivot away from the current Siri architecture and Vision Pro's immersive software teams toward new AI investments.

What was cut:

• Approximately 200 roles in Siri engineering, Vision Pro immersive gaming and video teams, and the Intelligent Systems Experience group
• The Intelligent Systems Experience group connects Apple's cloud-side AI processing with on-device models

The strategic context:

• Vision Pro launched in February 2024 at $3,499 and failed to meet sales expectations
• Siri's underlying architecture predates the large language model era, creating a visible gap with ChatGPT and Gemini
• Apple's $94.9 billion Q2 2026 revenue confirms this is a strategic reorientation, not a financial-pressure cut

Where the headcount is going:

• Bloomberg reports cuts are redirecting to newer AI efforts and new devices, potentially including smart glasses
• Apple Intelligence, announced at WWDC 2024, continues receiving investment

The Intelligent Systems Experience group handled AI integration across Apple devices. Which sub-teams absorbed the deepest cuts remains undisclosed by Apple, leaving open the question of whether the company is rebuilding its voice AI on a new architectural foundation or contracting ambitions in that space.

Key takeaways:

• Apple is signaling that the current Siri architecture is not the foundation for its AI future
• The cuts reflect a pattern also seen at Microsoft and Google of restructuring legacy product teams to redirect spend toward AI priorities
• At 1.4 billion active iPhones, Siri's visible gap with competing AI assistants creates ongoing pressure to act

Read the full article on The Eastern Herald.