Lhe power of the Titans was immeasurable. And, yet, they ended up very badly, locked up by the trick of one of their children, Zeus, in the hell of Tartarus. Apple’s Project Titan will suffer the same fate. According to the Anglo-Saxon press, Apple’s deputy general manager, Jeff Williams, internally announced the end of this adventure which aimed to produce an electric car. A company never officially confirmed but which has employed nearly 2,000 people since 2014. They will be reassigned to artificial intelligence activities or let go.
It’s the end of a story that scared the world of automakers as much as the Titans of mythology did to Greek civilization. Seeing a brand as prestigious as Apple arrive with a luxury car costing 100,000 euros would have been a second shock after Tesla, which in less than a decade has become the world’s leading manufacturer of electric vehicles.
A missed opportunity which proves once again that, even if we are the richest society in the world, it is very difficult to leave our own backyard. The Apple firm, however, did not hesitate on the means and studied all the options, including the search for a partnership with a manufacturer, or even the purchase of one of them. Remember that with its cash flow alone the company can largely afford Ford, General Motors and Stellantis combined.
The limits of his art
What was missing is of another nature, it is culture. Basically, Apple and its corporate body of computer geniuses have always looked down on this sector of hardworking people with its giant factories and modest margins. THE car guys snatched from the competition have not succeeded in changing this outlook. Many left disappointed in the face of management’s procrastination. Doug Field, head of engineering at Tesla until 2018, led the Titan project from 2018 to 2021. Then he left to take charge of Ford’s electrical division, replaced by the head of the Apple watch division. Another world.
Apple, like its California neighbors Google and Facebook or its Seattle competitors Microsoft and Amazon, is experimenting with the limits of its art. This is why the Stock Exchange applauded the decision. Investors have never liked diversifications that distract companies from their core business. Especially if it involves going into less profitable trades. Artificial intelligence is a much better bet. But will it be enough to renew the energy of the Titans of technology, always anxious at the prospect of being relegated, like their elders before them, from luminous Olympus to the misty moors of Tartarus?