The head of Mission Motors Derek Kaufman, which developed a fully electric motorcycle, has accused Apple of aggressively hiring its employees. It is alleged that it caused the bankruptcy of his company.
Sources close to the producer say that the bankruptcy of Mission Motors could be connected with the loss of financing last fall. But Kaufman says that when Apple changed to the leading experts on electric drive. For this reason, the main investor, with whom he was negotiating, refused to deal with Mission Motors, saying that other engineers will leave behind them.
Apple allegedly lured to his about 15 people, still a few left in Tesla Motors and Harley-Davidson. Earlier in aggressive hiring Apple was accused of Tesla Motors and the manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles A123, it was also reported the poaching of engineers by Ford and Mercedes-Benz.
In a recent interview with the head of Tesla Elon Musk said that Apple accept dismissed from his company’s engineers. “We always jokingly call Apple cemetery Tesla. Those who have failed to work in our company, go to them. I’m not kidding”, he said.
At the same time, Musk praised Apple for trying to do electric vehicles. “For them it is logical to move in this direction if they want to imagine something really revolutionary,” he said. In his opinion, to maintain the status of the innovator, Apple is already enough of a new pencil or a larger iPad. But, as Musk noted, cars are much more complicated smartphones and watches.
Officially Apple has not yet confirmed that is developing a car, but in the media appeared information that the new product, codenamed Titan will be in production by 2019. According to some reports, the company plans to make its first electric car fully Autonomous. Apple has hired several experts on Autonomous vehicles, however, the possibility of implementing this project is a part of long term plans.
