Apple Chip Expert Leaves Company to Join Samsung

A chip expert who worked for Apple for nine years has left the company to join rival Samsung, Business Korea reports.

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Kim Woo-Pyeong, according to the report, worked for Apple since 2014 after working for Texas Instruments and Qualcomm in prior years. The report is vague on what Kim's responsibilities were at Apple, only saying he was a semiconductor expert.

Apple uses a wide range of chips in its devices, from ultrawideband chip technology to the processors that power all of its devices and a custom-made 5G modem that is reportedly in the works.

At Samsung, Kim will be the company's director for a new packaging solution center. In the last couple of years, Samsung has upped its involvement in the semiconductor space amid increased competition from TSMC, Apple, and others. Samsung announced last month that it had started production of 3nm chips using a new transistor architecture.

Competition between Apple and Samsung remains fierce, with both companies continuing to compete for customers in smartphones, smartwatches, and accessories such as the AirPods and Galaxy Buds. Business Korea calls Samsung's latest hire from Apple "somewhat unusual" given the cooperative yet competitive relationship between the two companies. Despite their rivalry, Samsung and Apple work together, most notably for OLED displays.

Tag: Samsung

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Top Rated Comments

calstanford Avatar
37 months ago
Apple has almost 160,000 employees.

Apple now has almost 159,999 employees.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve09090 Avatar
37 months ago
Just the usual swapping and changing of staff. Nothing special about this. It happens in every industry.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seanmills1020 Avatar
37 months ago
From now on, Apple will only hire semiconductor experts whose first name is Chip.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
37 months ago
I thought it was going to be Johny Srouji, phew.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BootsWalking Avatar
37 months ago
Just don't let the inventor of rounded corners leave, otherwise Apple will really be in a pickle.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
37 months ago
Fascinating: Employee changes job.
In other news: the sky is blue.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)