By Team INVC | INVC NEWS
CUPERTINO, United States | September 21, 2026 — Apple has reportedly carried out another round of job cuts, marking its second layoff exercise in less than two months as the iPhone maker continues reshaping teams across services, artificial intelligence and emerging devices.
The latest reductions have affected a small number of employees working on the audio side of Apple Fitness+, including teams associated with features such as Time to Walk and Time to Run.
The cuts are limited compared with Apple’s previous restructuring, but their timing has attracted attention because they come only weeks after more than 200 positions were eliminated across Siri, Vision Pro and software-related teams.
For a company historically known for avoiding the large-scale layoffs seen at several Silicon Valley rivals, repeated job reductions within a short period are notable.
Apple Fitness+ Team Faces Fresh Job Cuts
The latest round reportedly affected employees involved in producing audio content for Fitness+.
Time to Walk and Time to Run allow Apple Watch users to listen to guided audio sessions without needing to follow a workout video on a screen.
Apple is not expected to discontinue these features.
However, new audio episodes could arrive less frequently following the staffing changes.
That makes the move less about shutting down Fitness+ and more about changing how Apple allocates resources inside the subscription service.
Second Layoff Round in Less Than Two Months
The timing is particularly significant.
In August, Apple cut more than 200 jobs across teams connected with Siri, Vision Pro and software engineering.
Roughly 100 positions were reportedly eliminated from the Vision Pro organisation, while another group of jobs disappeared from Siri and related software teams.
The company also dramatically reduced a Vision Pro team working on gaming and scaled back operations involved in producing immersive video content.
Those changes formed part of a broader restructuring as Apple shifted resources toward new devices and artificial intelligence projects.
Now, the Fitness+ reductions have created another round of job losses only weeks later.
Apple’s Layoffs Remain Smaller Than Many Tech Rivals
Apple’s latest cuts are still modest when compared with the tens of thousands of jobs eliminated by some technology companies in recent years.
That distinction matters.
Apple traditionally followed a more conservative hiring strategy and avoided some of the massive workforce reductions that followed the technology hiring boom.
However, the company is increasingly adjusting individual teams as priorities change.
Instead of announcing one huge company-wide reduction, Apple appears to be making targeted changes across specific products and services.
That approach can still create uncertainty for employees working in businesses that no longer sit at the centre of the company’s strategy.
Siri and Vision Pro Were Hit Earlier
Apple’s August restructuring offered a clearer picture of where resources were moving.
The company reduced staff working on Siri as it rebuilt its digital assistant around a newer artificial intelligence architecture.
Some Vision Pro teams also faced cuts as Apple reconsidered how much investment should go into immersive gaming and internally produced video content.
At the time, Apple said the restructuring would eliminate some existing positions while also creating new roles.
The company indicated that affected employees would receive support and opportunities to apply for other positions within Apple.
Is Apple Moving Resources Toward AI?
Artificial intelligence has become one of the most important strategic priorities across the global technology industry.
Apple has also been reorganising teams as it expands AI-powered capabilities across its products and services.
However, the latest Fitness+ reductions should not automatically be described as jobs directly “replaced by AI.”
The reported cuts concern an internal restructuring of the audio-content operation.
That distinction is important because technology layoffs increasingly attract claims that automation or artificial intelligence caused every reduction, even when companies have not established such a direct connection.
Apple’s broader strategy does show a shift toward AI and new devices, but the specific reason behind each eliminated Fitness+ position has not been publicly detailed.
What Happens to Time to Walk and Time to Run?
For Apple Watch users, the immediate message is straightforward:
Time to Walk and Time to Run are not being shut down.
The services can continue even with a smaller production operation.
The more likely change is a reduced frequency of fresh audio content.
That means existing Fitness+ subscribers should not interpret the layoffs as an announcement that Apple is ending its fitness subscription platform.
Instead, the company appears to be adjusting how much new material it produces for particular audio features.
Why These Apple Layoffs Matter
The number of jobs affected in this round may be small, but the wider pattern is worth watching.
First came cuts affecting Vision Pro, Siri and software teams.
Now Fitness+ has been hit.
Together, the moves illustrate how quickly priorities can shift even inside one of the world’s largest technology companies.
Products that once attracted aggressive investment can lose resources when consumer demand changes or when another technology — particularly artificial intelligence — becomes strategically more important.
For employees across the technology industry, Apple’s restructuring also reinforces a larger reality:
Even companies that largely avoided mass layoffs are continually reassessing where they want their people, money and engineering talent.
Apple’s Next Moves Will Be Closely Watched
The major question now is whether these targeted reductions stop with Fitness+ or whether additional teams will be reorganised.
So far, there is no indication of a broad company-wide layoff programme.
Instead, Apple’s recent actions point toward selective restructuring around individual products.
For Apple users, the company’s key services remain available.
For employees, however, the latest reductions make one thing increasingly clear:
Even at Apple, a successful product today does not guarantee that the team behind it will remain untouched tomorrow.
