Apple Loses Key Self-Driving Car Engineers To Rivals
As Flannery O’Connor definitely didn’t say, a good self-driving car engineer is hard to find.
They’re apparently even harder to hold on to, as Apple ( (AAPL) – Get Apple Inc. Report) has lost three engineers key to its ongoing self-driving car project to Silicon Valley rivals working on so-called “air taxis.”
Eric Rogers, who has been billed as Apple’s chief engineer for radar system on the self-driving car project, left to join Joby Aviation Inc. ( (JOBY) – Get Joby Aviation, Inc. Report.) , an “Electrical Aerial Ridesharing” company that is developing an aircraft that takes off and lands vertically, and looks sort of like a cross between a helicopter and a small plane.
Apple also lost both Alex Clarabut, an engineering manager for the team’s battery systems group, as well as Stephen Spiteri, an Apple hardware engineering manager to Archer Aviation Inc. ( (ACHR) ), which is also trying to get into the air taxi game with a similar propeller-powered craft.
As noted by Bloomberg, Apple’s attempts to enter the self-driving car market have been filled with headaches for the past seven years, with six other members of the project’s management team leaving earlier this year.
The radar system that the now-departed Rogers oversaw would allow the vehicle to navigate the streets and understand its surroundings. This feature would differentiate it from the self-driving cars pioneered by Tesla, which rely on cameras.
Despite the setback, Apple seems intent on pushing forward with the self-driving car. Kevin Lynch, who oversees the Apple Watch and health software, has taken over the project with plans to launch a fully self-driving car as early as 2025.
Bloomberg has reported the car will exclude traditional such as pedals or a steering wheel, and will feel more like a limousine.
At last check, Apple’s stock price was up 0.14%, and Tesla’s was down 4.33%, while Archer Aviation Inc was down 0.42% and Joby Aviation Inc was down 3.55%.
