Apple is currently facing a significant talent exodus, with many key engineers departing its AI and hardware divisions. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, OpenAI and Jony Ive’s new hardware venture have aggressively recruited from Apple’s hardware engineering group, hiring over 40 employees in recent months. This ongoing poaching is causing concern within Apple’s leadership.
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, alongside Jony Ive, aims to create a line of innovative hardware products expected to launch as early as 2026. Notable talent acquisitions include former Apple industrial design head Evans Hankey and hardware executive Tang Tan. These moves signal a strategic push that could reshape the AI and hardware landscape outside Apple.
Insiders report that Apple is increasingly uneasy about OpenAI’s aggressive hiring. The company has lost numerous directors, managers, and engineers across departments such as camera engineering, silicon development, and manufacturing. The disruption is affecting Apple’s ability to maintain momentum on crucial projects spanning smartwatches, Mac hardware, and iPhone technology.
This wave of departures brings to mind a historic incident involving Steve Jobs and Adobe’s CEO. Jobs famously confronted Adobe over its recruiting tactics, emphasizing Apple’s no-poach policy. Today, however, Apple struggles to enforce such retention policies, as competitors’ offers and new ventures lure away vital personnel.
Apple’s traditional approach of not competing on lucrative salaries appears less effective against the backdrop of this talent flight. As some key executives retire or resign, the challenge to keep top engineers motivated and onboard grows more critical than ever for the company’s ongoing innovation.
Despite its sizable workforce, Apple is not prepared for the rapid loss of specialists in critical fields like Siri development, foldable device technology, and augmented reality glasses. Industry reports highlight the risks this talent drain poses to Apple’s product pipeline and technological leadership.
The departure of talent to Jony Ive’s and OpenAI’s hardware projects underscores a broader shift in the tech ecosystem. Apple must urgently address retention and recruitment strategies to protect its innovation edge and remain competitive in a fiercely contested market landscape.
