Apple asks its San Diego Siri quality control team to relocate to Texas

Apple will combine 121 employees in San Diego with a team in Austin, Texas, and any employees who choose not to relocate may be laid off on April 26. BloombergAccording to the report, an Apple spokesperson confirmed that the team will “have the opportunity to continue to play a role at Apple in Austin” and that the team will listen to recordings of Siri interactions to ensure that it responds appropriately.

The article reported that employees were surprised by the move, which Apple had said would be to another campus in San Diego before the end of January instead of going to Texas. The company reportedly told employees they could apply for other jobs within the company, although some doubted they would qualify for Apple’s other positions in the city and most had no plans to move.

That’s to be expected, given the suddenness of things – it’s virtually guaranteed that some people won’t be uprooted so suddenly. Therefore, their departure is not a layoff per se, but it is not far from it. Apple has largely avoided layoffs, while other companies have made significant cuts over the past two years.

For those who are moving, Bloomberg They will receive a $7,000 stipend, while Apple will provide the others with four weeks of severance, plus one week of pay for each year they work, and six months of health insurance, the company wrote. The San Diego team reportedly listened to Siri recordings in multiple languages, including Hebrew, English, Spanish and Arabic.