Apple and Tesla have been battling to recruit top talent from each other, according to a new report from Bloomberg Business. Tesla has hired at least 150 former Apple employees, more than they have from any other company.
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The company has hired at least 150 former Apple employees, more than from any other company, even carmakers. The former Apple staffers work in many areas of the 6,000-employee automaker, including engineering and law. “From a design philosophy, [Apple] is relatively closely aligned,” says Musk, Tesla’s co-founder and chief executive officer. Apple declined to comment for this story.
Former Apple employees say their decision to join Tesla was based on the company's electric cars and CEO Elon Musk, who is a similar figure to Jobs. Like Jobs, Musk pays a great deal of attention to the details of his products and is a strong, visionary leader. Musk reportedly has a soft spot for Apple and enjoys comparisons to Steve Jobs as well, one former Tesla employee tells Bloomberg.
Apple's influence can be felt in the 17-inch touchscreen installed in Tesla's cars as well as its retail stores, both of which had former Apple employees in key roles. High profile former Apple employees at Tesla include Doug Field, Apple's former VP of Mac Hardware Engineering, who leads new vehicle development at the car company. Using top Silicon Valley talent, like former employees at Apple, allows Tesla to get a leg-up on competitors in the automobile industry.
While Tesla has had success recruiting talent from Apple, Musk says that Apple has hired "very few people" from the car company despite offering $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent salary increases to its employees.
Apple and Tesla have interacted in the past, with a report emerging in February 2014 that Apple had considered purchasing Tesla. Musk also revealed the two companies have had "conversations", though it isn't known whether those were about a potential acquisition, iOS integration in Tesla cars or battery technology.
The report also provides an interesting look into other ways Apple has influenced one of the most talked about companies in Silicon Valley and is worth reading at Bloomberg Business.
Top Rated Comments
My parents know what Tesla is.
I have friends throughout europe and asia who know what Tesla is.
I think it's time you give up this "rant."
You sound like me when people were trying to explain why this bookstore called Amazon was so spectacular. I turned out to be wrong.
I hope you are just trolling.
Ok, now it is obivous that you dont know what you are talking about. Tesla sells to quite a few countries actually, more than a handfull of european countries, even have superchargers placed all over western and nothern europe: http://www.teslamotors.com/en_EU/supercharger
Also it has quite alot of advertising and alot of media exposure.
You are wrong, i dont understand why you are so incredible stubborn when alot of people have told you how wrong you are. Why is it so important for you that you insist on that Tesla is a "nobody"
Apple has infinitely more money, expertise and power. If Tesla thinks they are winning at something, is because Apple wants it that way, or simply doesn't care.
Let's be realistic.