A Bloomberg investigation reveals that Tesla motors has lured at least 150 employees away from Apple, more than any other company, including car manufacturers. Released Thursday, the report concludes that with cars becoming increasingly computer-dependent, Tesla’s ability to attract Silicon Valley talent gives it a distinct edge over its rivals.
While the poached Apple staffers make up only a small portion of the electronic car maker’s roughly 6,000-person workforce, they can be found at all levels and areas of the company, from engineers to lawyers, all the way up to vehicle program Vice President Doug Field. Having oversaw development of the Macbook Air, Pro, and the iMac, Field left Apple for Tesla in 2013, Bloomberg reports, citing the desire to “build the best car in the world,” as well as work for one of the most innovative Silicon Valley companies.
In that sense, the migration of Apple employees to Tesla should not be so surprising. As CNET notes, since its founding in 2003, Tesla has risen to became one of the leading electric car makers in the world. Like Apple, the company has developed a reputation for combining sleek design and state-of-the-art performance.
“From a design philosophy, [Apple] is relatively closely aligned,” Tesla’s co-founder and CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg.
But Apple is hardly the only company to fall prey to Tesla’s employee-poaching. According to PC Magazine, Tesla has snagged executives from Google, VMware, and NXP Semiconductors, as well as from rival car makers like Ford, Mazda, Toyota, and Daimler.
Apple declined to comment on the story.
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