Apple is reportedly planning to consolidate its Siri quality control teams by merging the San Diego team of 121 employees with the one in Austin, Texas.
Those who do not wish to relocate could face termination by April 26. An Apple spokesperson confirmed that members of the Siri quality control team will have the chance to continue their roles with the company in Austin.
Employees have been informed that they can apply for other positions within Apple.
However, some workers are skeptical about their qualifications for other roles in the city and most do not intend to relocate.
Unlike other major tech companies such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft, which have significantly reduced their workforce over the past two years, Apple has largely avoided mass layoffs.
For those choosing to move to Austin, Apple will offer a $7,000 relocation stipend.
Employees who decide not to relocate will receive four weeks of severance pay plus an additional week’s pay for each year of service, along with six months of health insurance.
The San Diego team is known for reviewing Siri recordings in several languages, including Hebrew, English, Spanish, and Arabic.
Additionally, Apple has recently released frameworks and libraries to support AI development and is working on optimizing large language models (LLMs) for use on its iPhones.
