On August 21, 2026, Bloomberg reported that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is eliminating more than 200 positions across its Siri and Vision Pro teams as it redirects resources toward artificial intelligence and new hardware.
Roughly 100 roles are being cut from the Vision Pro organization, including largely shutting down its gaming team and shrinking the unit that produces immersive video. Another 100 are being cut from Siri and related software groups, including the Intelligent Systems Experience team that handles some on-device AI features. The Siri cuts are tied to rebuilding the assistant on a new AI-powered technical architecture, which requires different expertise than the current team provides. Apple said in a statement that it is realigning teams “to evolve our business to deliver the best experiences for our users” and will create new roles alongside the cuts. Near-term, Apple is focusing on smart glasses that would not support advanced gaming or immersive video, with a successor Vision Pro model reportedly under consideration for as early as late 2028.
Bull Case
These cuts show Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) redirecting resources toward its next priority, not shrinking overall investment in emerging hardware. Apple is simultaneously creating new roles for the rebuilt, AI-powered Siri and reportedly still developing smart glasses and a future Vision Pro successor, meaning headcount is shifting toward stronger next bets rather than retreating from ambitious hardware altogether.
Cutting the immersive video team addresses a cost problem before it compounds. Individual episodes have reportedly cost millions of dollars to produce for a device with a limited active user base, so scaling back that content investment is a rational response to weak returns, not an admission of Vision Pro’s outright failure.
The Siri rebuild finally gives Apple a credible plan to close its most visible AI gap. Rearchitecting Siri around new AI technology and reallocating staff to support it targets the area where Apple has faced the most consistent criticism relative to rivals, a reasonable prioritization over Vision Pro content spending.
Bear Case
Shutting down the Vision Pro gaming team and shrinking immersive video, its signature content differentiator, undercuts the device’s original value proposition. Both were used to justify Vision Pro’s premium price, and pulling back on them suggests Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) itself sees limited demand for the features meant to differentiate the headset from cheaper rivals.
Apple’s retreat from the Vision Pro creates a significant gap in its spatial computing strategy. The company is pivoting toward smart glasses instead of expanding the high-end Vision Pro ecosystem, while a true successor may not arrive until 2028. This shift leaves Apple with limited momentum across several years in a market it once declared as its next major computing platform.
The Siri rebuild carries execution risk on a product Apple has already struggled to modernize. Eliminating existing roles while hiring for new AI expertise creates a transition period where institutional knowledge is lost even as Apple races to catch up on an assistant that has visibly lagged competitors for years, with no guarantee the new architecture ships on time.
Conclusion
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) choosing where to focus its AI and hardware bets drives this story, not the headcount number. The bull case relies on Apple shifting resources toward rebuilding Siri’s AI while cutting an expensive, underused content line before costs escalate further. The bear case centers on Apple scaling back Vision Pro’s core features just as a true successor recedes years into the future, while rebuilding Siri carries real execution risks during a critical transition window.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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