Tesla is giving Apple a hard time, by luring more and more of its employees from the tech giant than anywhere else.
The electric car company has hired at least 150 people from the computer giant with Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk commenting that Apple’s design philosophy is “relatively closely aligned” with that of Tesla, according to reports from Bloomberg and CNET.
As software gains more ground over hardware in the automotive industry, Tesla’s move to recruit some serious talent from Silicon Valley gives it an almost unfair advantage in developing future cars.
Apple’s design influence is obvious on Tesla’s Model S and its features, especially when you look at the 17-inch touchscreen that controls almost everything in the car. After all, it was a former Apple designer that developed it.
Elon Musk has built a strong reputation for himself and this is making it easier for him and his company to attract the same kind of people as Apple does. Many people compare him already with Steve Jobs, particularly because of his obsessive attention to detail and his intense temperament.
Tesla is set to launch the first electric SUV in 2016 and has plans to throw in the market the Model III, an all-electric rival to the BMW 3-Series with a price tag of $35,000 somewhere around 2017.
According to Musk, Apple tried to grab some of his employees too, offering $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent salary increases but so far very few people have accepted the offer.
By Michael Karkafiris
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