Apple begins first job cuts under new CEO John Ternus, Fitness+ employees affected
Follow UsApple has reportedly started cutting jobs at Fitness+, marking the first layoffs under CEO John Ternus.
The job cuts reportedly affected a handful of Fitness+ employees.
Some of them worked on audio content.
Apple has reportedly started cutting jobs at Fitness+, marking the first layoffs under CEO John Ternus. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple laid off a small number of employees working on its fitness subscription service this past week. The affected staff included people involved in the audio side of Fitness+, including Time to Walk and Time to Run sessions. The move comes as Apple reviews the future of Fitness+.
SurveyGurman reported that the job cuts affected a “handful” of Fitness+ employees. Some of them worked on audio content that users can listen to through their Apple Watch without needing to watch a workout video.
Apple will reportedly reduce the frequency of new audio releases following the cuts. However, the company is not likely planning to stop this type of content completely at least for now.
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The changes come as Fitness+ faces the challenge of producing fresh content while dealing with subscriber churn. Creating new workout videos and other content on a regular basis can also be expensive. This makes the service an area where Apple can look for ways to lower spending.
Fitness+ is currently being overseen by Apple’s services chief Eddy Cue and health leader Sumbul Desai.
The latest layoffs are reportedly being viewed as an early step towards bigger changes to the service. More cost-cutting measures could follow in the coming months and years.
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One possible direction is a closer connection between Fitness+ and Apple’s Health app. Gurman believes Apple could eventually bring Fitness+ into a redesigned Health app. Both services now fall under the same organisational structure, which could make the move easier.
The revamped Health app is expected to include video clips that explain different health topics and help users understand certain health data and benchmarks.
The latest move points to the company reviewing the service and looking for ways to make it less expensive to operate.
