As Apple’s automated-driving program gains momentum, the company has been able to woo seven engineers away from vaunted electric-car maker Tesla.
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It’s no doubt that Apple has the funds to match, or perhaps even exceed the technology that Google is using in the construction of their self-driving cars, but Google has the upper-hand in terms of on-the-road experience. The information surfaced via LinkedIn, where the network’s profile for Jamie Carlson revealed he has left Tesla and joined Apple.
And yes, Apple only acquired Carlson this time around but the company has already picked up the likes of Megan McClain in January, who is formerly a Volkswagen AG engineer who has a particular specialty with automated driving.
Meanwhile, in addition to the recent hiring of Carlson by Apple, the LinkedIn profiles of at least six other individuals have disclosed that they have joined Apple.
A few months before that, Apple made headlines when it hired Paul Furgale, an acclaimed autonomous vehicle researcher who reportedly began assembling a team of “robotics and machine vision experts to work on a confidential project”. Perhaps the reason for Apple’s ongoing secrecy is that they are working on a completely new form of self-driving vehicle altogether. Reports claim that as many as 1,000 Apple employees are working in the project, including former employees of Tesla, NASA, and a large number of major automakers.
Apple is said to be developing a self-driving auto, which CEO Tim Cook apparently green-lit a year ago, and this additional hire seems to be adding more fuel to speculation surrounding the tech giant’s rumored automotive ambitions.
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However, it is a fact that Apple is hiring the best team for its secret automobile-related project.
