Apple Hires Former Tesla and Microsoft HoloLens Designer Andrew Kim

Senior Tesla designer Andrew Kim has left his role at the automotive company to join Apple (via The Verge). Kim is the the latest in a long line of Tesla employees who have left the company for Apple, including Tesla lead engineer Doug Field's return to Apple this past August.

applecar
Kim's work history includes user interface design at Microsoft, contributions to HoloLens and Xbox One S, and designs for Tesla's Model 3, S, X, and Y. His LinkedIn profile confirms his move to Apple this month, but doesn't specify what he'll be doing at the company outside of being a "Designer." Due to his history, it could be work on Apple's rumored AR glasses, Project Titan, or something else entirely.

Project Titan is Apple's long-rumored vehicle project, which is believed to have originated in 2014 and could see a consumer Apple Car available between 2023 and 2025, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. This estimate came from a report in August, but previous rumors suggested that focus on Project Titan has shifted to autonomous driving software for cars instead of a vehicle specifically designed by Apple.

Kuo's report and news about Apple's hiring of Tesla employees -- now including Kim -- have reignited the speculation that Apple could again be planning to build its own vehicle. If accurate, the future Apple Car would have Apple's autonomous driving software built inside of a car designed by the Cupertino company.

Related Roundup: Apple Vision Pro
Buyer's Guide: Vision Pro (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
apple intelligence erroneous support list

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows. Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs. The U.S. version...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...

Top Rated Comments

Kabeyun Avatar
90 months ago
Ok, as long as they don't rely on Siri for any AI needs ...
Here’s what I found on the Web for “Ok, as long as they don't rely on Siri for any AI needs ...”
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tapiture Avatar
90 months ago
How much would an Apple car cost, 1 million the base model?
Starts at $59,000 for 16 GB of storage, but each year it increases by $5,000
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
90 months ago
Hmm I thought Apple might buy Tesla but maybe they’ll just do their own electric car instead. Cook has previously said Apple was working on software for cars and not the car itself, although all of the Tesla hires might signal otherwise.
Apple is one of the few companies in the world that has the resources to buy Tesla. Tesla would suddenly have all the capital needed to immediately start construction on 10+ factories, finish them in 3 years, and achieve much higher economies of scale, allowing them to dramatically lower prices.

It would give Apple something to spend their money on.

I think the biggest issue would be a clash of cultures. Musk is very open and risk-tolerant. He gets an idea, tweets it, then pulls people in to implement his tweet. His thought is he can move much quicker if he's not handicapping stuff with secrecy or getting hung up on details and technicalities - it's much better to go back and fix the 1% you missed after the fact rather than tease out every detail of a plan before you do anything. Product changes are done immediately, software updates are often daily (sometimes things are a bit slower and maybe you go 10 days without an update.)

Apple is pretty much the opposite. They keep everything in secret. They win races not by moving quickly, but by not letting anyone know a race is happening. They plan everything out in advance. Product updates happen once a year or less. Software updates are once a month or less.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
netdudeuk Avatar
90 months ago
Ok, as long as they don't rely on Siri for any AI needs ...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)