General Motors to lay off hundreds in Israel amid Cruise shutdown
Hundreds summoned for hearings as parent company restructures its global autonomous vehicle operations.
The American automotive giant General Motors has summoned hundreds of its employees in Israel for hearings, following a previous round of layoffs last August in which dozens were dismissed. The company currently employs around 700 workers at its development center in Herzliya, considered one of GM’s key global hubs.
Calcalist has learned that the latest layoffs are linked to the closure of Cruise, GM’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, and its integration into the parent company. The restructuring created significant overlap in roles, prompting further downsizing.
In 2024, GM carried out a round of layoffs in Israel as part of a major reorganization of its software division, affecting several dozen employees. In recent weeks, the company has also implemented layoffs at various sites across the United States, in part due to slowing demand for electric vehicles.
In a statement, General Motors said: “In order to accelerate GM’s vision for autonomy, we are aligning our team structure with our most critical priorities. As a result, we’ve made the difficult decision to reduce roles on the autonomous vehicle technology team in Israel. We are grateful for the teams’ contributions to this effort. GM's tech center in Israel continues to focus on areas such as connected camera and viewing, engagement services, charging, fleet, cyber, thermal, DevOps, and R&D.”
