GM’s metro Atlanta tech center will close, costing 350 jobs. Here’s why.

General Motors announced Monday it plans to shutter a metro Atlanta technology center, laying off hundreds of employees following a third quarter that saw profits decline for the American automotive giant.

GM will close its Georgia Innovation Center in Roswell, a facility that was touted in 2013 as a “major economic development” win by then-Gov. Nathan Deal. The center employs about 900 workers, of which 325 will be laid off with severance benefits, according to GM spokesperson Kevin Kelly.

The layoffs join a string of job cuts and strategy revisions rippling through the American auto industry, especially the electric vehicle sector. Detroit-based GM reported a revenue decline of 1% which was better than analysts’ expectations. But GM also saw a 57% decline in profit in the third quarter compared with last year, and said in a recent regulatory filing it expects lower EV demand because of the repeal of federal tax credits for fully plug-in vehicles.

Tax credits worth up to $7,500 for EV buyers were eliminated at the end of September as part of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trump has frequently criticized what he calls the “EV mandate,” aiming to roll back subsidies for the sector and loosen environmental regulations.

Automakers, including American ones like GM, have also been hammered by tariffs, which have hit steel, parts and completed vehicles. Though GM is U.S.-based, it makes some of its vehicles in other countries that are imported into the U.S.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., said Tuesday the legislation and Trump’s “reckless tariffs are directly to blame for the termination of hundreds of Georgia jobs at the GM Innovation Center.”

“Folks in Washington are working for billionaires and special interests, not hard-working Georgians,” Warnock’s statement continued. “I will always fight to protect pro-business tax credits and smart tariff policies.”

Kelly denied that tariffs specifically played a role in the Roswell office closure, saying in a statement that, “The current trade environment had no impact on GM’s decision to close the IT center.

GM CEO Mary Barra said on an Oct. 21 call with investors that her company has had to “navigate a rapidly changing regulatory and policy environment.” In the call’s first minutes, she also thanked Trump for “the important tariffs updates” made days earlier, which pertained to certain credits for domestic manufacturing and new 25% tariffs on imported medium and heavy duty trucks.

“Now with an evolving regulatory framework and the end of the federal consumer incentives, it’s clear that near-term EV adoption will be much lower than planned,” Barra continued. “This is resulting in higher variable costs as we expect to utilize less capacity across our EV plants and supply chain.”

The innovation center at 1035 Sun Valley Drive is within a former UPS facility and housed GM teams focused on web technologies, end-user applications, dealer and factory systems, and vehicle technology. Almost all of the layoffs hit information technology and support roles, while the remaining employees will either be relocated or will shift to remote roles.

GM said it plans to list the 228,000-square-foot building for sale in November.