For over a decade, the idea of an Apple car has lived in a strange space between rumor and myth. It was widely reported, frequently denied, and never officially acknowledged by Apple. Some believed it was real but cancelled. Others thought it never truly existed in the first place.
Now, an unlikely source may have settled the debate.
Not Apple.
Not a regulatory filing.
But Airbnb.
The Confirmation Apple Never Gave
Airbnb recently announced Ahmad Al-Dahle as its new Chief Technology Officer. Buried inside the internal memo shared with employees (picked up by Techradar) was a line that raised eyebrows across the tech world:
“In 2014, Ahmad created and led Apple’s autonomous technology group, responsible for developing the core AI systems for the company’s self-driving car project.”
That single sentence matters more than it might seem.
Apple has never publicly confirmed a self-driving car project. Not once. And yet here is a major public company stating, plainly and confidently, that such a project existed, had leadership, and ran for years.
This is not speculation. It is not analyst interpretation. It is a direct internal description of someone’s role at Apple.
Why this Is Different From Past Rumors
Rumors about “Project Titan” have circulated since around 2014. We heard about car prototypes, autonomous driving tests, layoffs, and shifting strategies. But all of it relied on anonymous sources and supply-chain whispers.
This is different for three reasons: First, it names a person. Second, it specifies responsibility. Third, it frames the project as serious, long-term work.
Al-Dahle was not described as someone who “explored” autonomy or “researched” future vehicles. He created and led the group responsible for the core AI systems behind Apple’s self-driving car.
That implies structure, funding, staffing, and years of development. In plain terms, this was not a side project. It was a real program.
Why Airbnb Is the Messenger
The irony here is that Airbnb has nothing to do with cars. But that may be exactly why this confirmation surfaced now.
Airbnb is repositioning itself as an AI-assisted, human-centric platform rather than a purely transactional marketplace. Hiring someone who led Apple’s autonomous AI efforts sends a clear signal about ambition, scale, and long-term thinking.
By highlighting Al-Dahle’s Apple car role, Airbnb is effectively saying: we hired someone who worked on one of the most complex AI problems on Earth.
In doing so, they also pulled back the curtain on Apple’s past.
So Was the Apple Car Cancelled?
Almost certainly, yes. But cancellation does not mean imaginary.
What this memo makes clear is that Apple’s self-driving car was real, staffed, and strategically important for years. It shaped Apple’s internal AI capabilities, even if it never became a consumer product.
And fittingly, confirmation did not come with a keynote or press release.
It came quietly.
Indirectly.
And very Apple-like.
