Apple Inc. is relocating its 121-person Data Operations Annotations team, a move that puts many employees at risk of termination. The team, responsible for enhancing Siri's performance, received news of the relocation from Christine DeFilippo, a top deputy to Apple AI chief John Giannandrea.
The affected team, spread across offices in China, India, Ireland, Spain, and San Diego, was informed that they have until the end of February to decide on relocating to Austin, Texas, where the majority of the team is already based. Failure to relocate will result in termination on April 26.
An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the decision, emphasizing the opportunity for current employees to continue their roles in Austin. The company expressed its commitment to San Diego, citing significant growth in the region and ongoing hiring for engineering teams.
The move surprised San Diego employees, who were initially expecting a relocation within the city but are now required to move to Texas. Reports suggest that most affected workers are unwilling to relocate, and concerns arise regarding eligibility for other roles, especially for those without engineering backgrounds.
The San Diego team focuses on Siri use in multiple languages, including Hebrew, English, various Spanish dialects, Portuguese, Arabic, and French. The relocation may lead to the departure of several dozen workers, potentially marking a departure from Apple's trend of avoiding layoffs during the pandemic.
Employees willing to relocate by the end of June are offered a $7,000 relocation stipend, while those opting to leave will receive four weeks of severance, plus an additional week for each year worked, along with six months of health insurance.
The Data Operations Annotations team has a notable history within Apple, evolving from contractors who addressed Siri accuracy concerns to full-time employees. Currently, a subset of employees within the group is involved in Apple's move towards AI products based on large language models (LLMs), with plans for an official announcement in June.
