According to a recent report by Bloomberg, Apple may cancel its ten-year plan for electric vehicle development, and some employees in the project will be transferred to Apple's artificial intelligence department.
According to insiders, Apple disclosed this information internally on Tuesday (February 27th), which surprised nearly 2000 employees involved in the project. The aforementioned individuals stated that Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams and Vice President Kevin Lynch, who is responsible for this project, jointly made this decision.
Once the news was exposed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on Apple's cancellation of its car manufacturing plan with a tribute and a cigarette emoji. Subsequently, electric vehicle analyst and Tesla investor Sawyer Merritt analyzed the reasons why Apple abandoned car manufacturing. Musk replied, "Bankruptcy is the norm for a car company."
It is worth mentioning that "Apple cancels car manufacturing" has also sparked heated discussions in China, with related hot searches continuing to dominate the list, and multiple automotive executives have expressed their opinions.
Screenshot from Li Xiang's official Weibo account
"Apple's decision to abandon car manufacturing and focus on artificial intelligence is an absolutely correct strategic choice, and the timing is also appropriate." Li Xiang, CEO of Ideal Automobile, believes that artificial intelligence will become the top-level entry point for all devices, services, applications, and transactions, and is Apple's battleground. "The necessary condition for the great success of automobiles is still artificial intelligence. The electrification of automobiles is the first half, and artificial intelligence is the final."
Screenshot taken from Lei Jun's official Weibo account
"I was shocked to see this news!" Lei Jun, the founder, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, said, "Xiaomi's strategy is' people and cars are all ecological '. We know the difficulty of building cars. Three years ago, we still made an extremely firm strategic choice to build a good car for Rice noodles."
Screenshot from He Xiaopeng's official Weibo account
Xiaopeng Automobile Chairman He Xiaopeng also expressed shock, "Last year we discussed that all new entrants to the automotive industry will play cards by 2024, except for Apple. The decade after 2024 will enter the knockout stage and the All Star Game. However, we did not expect Apple to play such a card in 2024."
Screenshot taken from Liu Tao's official Weibo account
Liu Tao, Co CEO of Zhiji Automotive Technology Co., Ltd., believes that although Apple's cancellation of car manufacturing is surprising, it is also reasonable. He believes that Apple will concentrate its resources on the field of generative AI, which is also the underlying competitiveness of intelligent vehicles in the second half.
Screenshot taken from Feng Qingfeng's official Weibo account
"'Cross industry car manufacturing 'has become a norm in the automotive industry, and it has indeed driven the development of the automotive industry to a certain extent. I believe that many other industry giants will join the car manufacturing army in different forms in the future. From the perspective of Lotus Group CEO Feng Qingfeng,' Apple's cancellation of car manufacturing also demonstrates that car manufacturing is not only a test of software strength, but also a test of many complex elements such as capital and technology accumulation, as well as the industrial chain. '"
Screenshot from Lu Fang's official Weibo account
Lu Fang, CEO of Lantu Automotive Technology Co., Ltd., said that Apple has always pursued disruptive innovation, and the iPhone, which was born in the past, ended Nokia's glory. I believe that Apple's innovative mindset in car manufacturing will not change. However, returning to the essence of automobiles, no matter how intelligent they are, innovation must also be combined with the essence of transportation and spatial mobility. This disruptive revolution is very difficult.
He believes that from the current competitive landscape, the main battlefield for smart cars is in China. However, Apple's strategic layout has deviated significantly in the past few years, with strong enemies piling up and serious internal competition, resulting in very little profit for many companies. From a business perspective, hastily entering such a competitive landscape is not in the interest of Apple and investors. "Apple's cancellation of car manufacturing is due to the untimely opportunity for disruptive innovation in technology, or the inability to find a suitable business model. It is a temporary abandonment and may be due to the current helplessness of 'prioritization'."
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