Tesla Keeps Poaching Key Apple Workers

Electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) continues to poach key executives of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), and the latest in the list is said to be chip architect Peter Bannon, according to a report on 9to5Mac.

Last week, Electrek reported that Apple's alloy expert Charles Kuehmann has joined Tesla.

Related Link: Analysts Met With Tesla's New CFO: Here's What Happened

Late January, Tesla hired chip architect Jim Keller as new "Vice-President of Autopilot Hardware Engineering."

The report said before Keller left Apple for AMD in 2012, he and Bannon were leading Apple's processor development since the Cupertino-based company bought their chip making firm PA Semi in 2008. Bannon has served Apple for more than seven years. According to Bannon's LinkedIn profile, he joined Apple in February 2016.

Bannon, who holds several patents when it comes to chip-making, will be a huge asset for Tesla, as he is likely to play a major role in developing advanced chips and sensors for future Tesla vehicles. He would not be alone at Tesla, where he would work with his former colleague Keller and may jointly make autopilot chips.

What Does It All Mean?

The appointment of Bannon, who is latest in the series of Tesla hires from Apple, indicates that Tesla is mooting its own in-house chip development. Moreover, the departure of these key executives dealt a blow to Apple, which is also said to be working on an electric car.

Ironically, Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself has said it is an "open secret" that Apple is making a rival electric car. But, he said he is not threatened by Apple's efforts.

Image Credit: By Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia - Elon Musk, Tesla Factory, Fremont (CA, USA), CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia