Let’s start with somewhat vague concepts: Apple under Ternus: More products, more often, with a ‘leaner’ staff.
This reportedly includes being “more experimental” with releases. More experimental than the Vision Pro? Oookay. We’ll look forward to that.
Despite the desire to be leaner, Apple declined one… mmm, “opportunity” is the wrong word… “chance to punch itself in the face.” That’s more accurate: Apple Reportedly Planned to Replace 5,000 Support Employees With AI.
[Apple] worked on a plan to lay off about 5,000 AppleCare customer-service workers, including many who work from home, based on the belief that improved AI-powered phone and web agents could take over portions of their responsibilities. Apple ultimately put those plans on hold and isn’t currently looking to take such a step.
Alas, Apple customers will not know the joys of having an AI ask us to do all the things we’ve already tried all over again before advising we log out of iCloud and then back in.
This might be another area where Apple supposedly being “late” to AI will work to its advantage as other companies have learned this lesson the hard way with three-quarters of them having rolled back AI call center deployments. In fact, instead of laying off the support personnel, Apple let go some middle managers and directors instead!
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Foundry
Welcome to the class struggle, Apple Inc.? No, no, that’s not right. Ridiculous. Forget the Macalope said that.
