Tesla engineers ignored daily calls from Apple while the tech giant developed its canceled electric vehicle initiative, Project Titan. Elon Musk revealed in a podcast that Apple's aggressive poaching attempts included offers double Tesla's compensation without interviews. The project, aimed at a 2028 launch with autonomous features, was abandoned in early 2024.
Apple pursued an ambitious electric vehicle program known as Project Titan from 2022 to 2023, developing it in secrecy with plans for a 2028 launch featuring a fully autonomous driving suite and no traditional human controls like a steering wheel. The company later scaled back to limited autonomous driving but ultimately canceled the effort in early 2024, notifying over 2,000 employees via email.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared details of Apple's recruitment tactics during a recent podcast interview. He stated, “They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.” This relentless approach highlighted Apple's struggle to build expertise in the competitive EV landscape dominated by companies like Tesla.
Analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities commented, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.” Despite the poaching efforts, Apple successfully hired some former Tesla staff, including Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who later moved to Archer Aviation.
Unlike its legal action against Rivian in mid-2020 over similar poaching concerns, Tesla did not pursue any measures against Apple. The failed project underscores the challenges tech giants face in entering the EV market against established players.
