First it was reported that Apple and Tesla are in an intense bidding war for each other’s talent, and now an anonymous Apple employee has come out of the woodwork to talk smack.
Tesla engineers are apparently “jumping ship” to join Apple, according to an email Business Insider received from an Apple employee who requested anonymity. “Apple’s latest project is too exciting to pass up… I think it will change the landscape and give Tesla a run for its money.”
Business Insider says it verified the authenticity of the source.
The idea that Tesla talent is “jumping ship” for Apple goes against a recent Bloomberg report, which said Apple has had little luck luring Tesla employees. Apple has about 50 ex-Tesla engineers on its payroll, while Tesla has managed to hire around 150 people away from Apple.
Engineering talent in the Valley is scarce, and both companies likely want each other’s people for a multitude of reasons. The poaching battle doesn’t necessarily mean that Apple is trying to step on Tesla’s turf.
But what would it mean for Apple to give Tesla a “run for its money?” Tesla makes electric cars. We know that Steve Jobs had dreams of an iCar, but the idea that Apple is working on one right now seems far fetched.
Then there’s the curious sightings of Apple-leased cars roaming the streets with what looks like advanced mapping tools. What does it all mean? Probably Apple Maps and/or CarPlay improvements, but for now there’s plenty of room to guess.
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
8 responses to “Apple working on something to ‘give Tesla a run for its money’”
If Apple wants to get involved with vehicles, Tesla seems like a prime candidate for purchasing. They bring something unique to the industry, they value design, they have make high-quality, high-margin products. Their company’s market cap is $27 billion, about what Apple profits in five months. They could maintain separate branding but collaborate on design, battery production, marketing, retail, etc.
It sounds crazy, but 20 years ago, who would have said Apple should get into selling music, telephones, and watches? The next big pieces of Apple’s future seem to be moving beyond the discrete “computer” and into a world of pervasive, intelligent wearables, cars, homes, TVs, and health devices.
Lifestyle Brands are the next thing. Literally which brand would you use your entire life?
Looking at Elon Musk I’d rather say such idea is a no-go. PayPal did it’s job, managed to make it’s ground (online cash services) important.
Now Tesla is making such thing for electrical cars, SpaceX is going space exploration new tech and some more stuff. I highly doubt that Elon Musk would sell any of those before they would make really important impact and get real competitors. Cause if you look at what Elon Musk did, it’s easy to get a feel he’s not just another guy who makes business just for cash (As Apple people are already falling into this category with Apple not making trends but merely following them), but to make his ideas reality, while doing it smartly.
I highly doubt that Tesla needs Apple resources. Tesla already does quite a commotion and have brand, they don’t need desperate marketing – they rather simply expanding, first focusing on extending charging bases before extensive marketing campaign is very logical. But even so actual users of his cars are by far best form of marketing.
ooh, an Iphone I can drive.
Apple likes to go into markets where there are pain points. There are plenty of pain points in motor vehicles. If Apple wants to compete with Tesla it could be great as it wouldn’t surprise me if their competition forces these great efficient technologies to get into the hands of normal human beings sooner. It would strongly depend on the type of vehicle they were to offer. I’m sure they have a vision about a car. Time will tell if that vision is something that Apple believes that they could execute, make money on and use to make another dent in the universe.
Two words. Battery Technology.
I’m personally more interested in what’s going on with Microsoft’s rumored Windows 10 Unicycle Project. Can’t wait to see what shape they go with for the wheel.
I want to know about the $250,000 signing bonus no one is talking about. They aren’t jumping ship because they can’t pass up a Apple car.