Overview
- Apple granted rare out-of-cycle restricted stock units to many iPhone Product Design staff, with packages reported at roughly $200,000 to $400,000 that vest over four years.
- The move follows intensified recruiting of Apple hardware talent by AI-focused startups, and Apple declined to comment on the reported awards.
- Reporters note that some rivals are offering far richer terms, with certain Apple engineers courted with about $1 million in stock per year, raising questions about how much the new grants will slow exits.
- OpenAI’s hardware push has drawn in over 40 former Apple employees and features ex-Apple leaders Jony Ive and Tang Tan, while Apple’s iPhone product design group is now led by Rich Dinh under hardware chief John Ternus.
- Apple has used similar retention grants in recent years, and some coverage argues churn is typical in Silicon Valley, which suggests the four-year vest may buy time more than end the talent drain.