Report: Apple Bleeding Talent to OpenAI

[MacRumors]

Dozens of Apple engineers and designers with expertise in audio, watch design, robotics, and other core product areas have left the company for OpenAI in recent months, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a review of data from LinkedIn suggests a signifiant scale and concentration of talent now moving specifically to OpenAI as it builds a dedicated hardware division. The reviewed profiles show that former Apple staff joining OpenAI include contributors to multiple flagship categories, ranging from wearable-device industrial design to platform-level audio technologies used across the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. Several individuals also listed experience in robotics. OpenAI is expected to launch its first hardware device next year.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Meta had hired multiple Apple employees, including longtime Apple designer Alan Dye, while conducting its own recruiting blitz for AI and smartglasses development. Meanwhile, Apple announced the retirement of Senior Vice President and General Counsel Kate Adams, Lisa Jackson, Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, and AI chief John Giannandrea. Earlier this year, Apple lost Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who is retiring, and Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri. There have also been rumors about Apple CEO Tim Cook retiring, with rumors suggesting he is preparing to leave his role as soon as next year.



Article Link: Report: Apple Bleeding Talent to OpenAI

 

[1d1otic]

Apple lacks vision towards AI and now, they are losing developers and engineers.

 

[attohs]

Apple lost people to Theranos back in the day

 

[Sebosz]

I blame Craig Federighi, don’t @ me 😆

 

[turbineseaplane]

Apple seems to be bleeding talent to everyone and everything, including retirement.

 

[rappr]

This reminds me of when Palm stole a bunch of talent from Apple after the original iPhone came out. Some engineers are always looking for that next big thing and aren’t interested in the “boring” maintenance work.

 

[spillled typos]

uh oh, hardware is all they had left

 

[rappr]

Apple seems to be bleeding talent to everyone.

The problem is, no one writes articles when Apple fills these open roles, unless they are executive level.

 

[gleepskip]

"We're losing talent left and right. You're gonna love it!"

 

[terminator-jq]

Not too surprising considering a lot of these engineers just like new things to work on. Smartphones have reached their peak while AI in both software and especially hardware presents new exciting opportunities.

Even as an Apple fan, I’m excited to see what Open AIs first hardware offering will be.

 

[maflynn]

Apple's AI initiative is in serious trouble, losing talent, over promising in 2024 and not having much of a plan

 

[rappr]

Not too surprising considering a lot of these engineers just like new things to work on. Smartphones have reached their peak while AI in both software and especially hardware presents new exciting opportunities.

Even as an Apple fan, I’m excited to see what Open AIs first hardware offering will be.

Same. I’m in support of anything that moves us beyond the mouse/keyboard/desktop computing we’ve been stuck with for decades.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Remember folks - Siri is still “on track” for next year 😉

 

[contacos]

Ist Apple paying this badly or is the work environment not the greatest anymore either?

 

[jarman92]

Hard to keep talent when the competition is shoveling piles of Monopoly money on them.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Remember folks - Siri is still “on track” for next year 😉

Absolutely!
Should be fun to see what they release 😂

 

[HouseLannister]

4 major executives gone in a week. Rumors of Tim retiring in 2026. It's a bad look. Time to hire the CEO of a soda company. That usually fixes things.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Is Apple paying this badly or is the work environment not the greatest anymore either?

"yes" seems to be the answer.

The bad pay is relative though.
I'm sure it's still exceptional in a broader context.

 

[JFLY]

No wonder Siri gets dumber by the day.....

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Same. I’m in support of anything that moves us beyond the mouse/keyboard/desktop computing we’ve been stuck with for decades.

I am too, but as long as it doesn't involve adding more screens to my life and between me and the world.

 

[rappr]

4 major executives gone in a week. Rumors of Tim retiring in 2026. It's a bad look. Time to hire the CEO of a soda company. That usually fixes things.

Aren’t some of the departures legitimate retirements?

 

[macmyworld]

Nothing new here. The AI boom (and eventual bust) creates paper millionaires who chase shiny new companies. Most will not survive. Same thing happened with .com. Look at the OpenAI financials. They are bleeding money.

 

[rp2011]

Craig and Tim may have to get a bigger coffee mug and put in some extra overtime hours. Now we know for sure Tim redesigned the AppleTV logo himself after the skinny font and translucent button guy bailed on them. Not too bad Tim, Not too bad.

 

[DunedinD]

They’ll be back when Apple buys OpenAI.

 

[jarman92]

Ist Apple paying this badly or is the work environment not the greatest anymore either?

Apple has never paid top dollar nor had the best work environment, people want to work there because it's a very stable company that makes great products and generally doesn't do horrible things.

That being said, they're losing people because AI companies are flush with "cash" and they're getting increasingly panicked about their unsustainable, unsupportable valuations and lack of progress towards any sort of business model. So they're frantically hiring people with piles of fake money to placate investors.