Apple hires former Tesla engineer

In a recent move Apple has picked up former Tesla employee David Masiukiewicz according to, 9to5Mac.

Masiukiewicz was a Senior CNC programmer who worked on hardware prototyping, but Apple will use his skills as ''senior model maker'' in the "Product Realization Lab."

At the lab, Apple prototypes new parts and designs for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Masiukiewicz joins Kevin Harvey, who was earlier working in the CNC machine shop at Andretti Autosport. Whether their roles are related to the car project is not known, but according to commentators given their past expertise, that should be the case rather than prototyping of iPhones and iPads.

Apple's hiring move follows a report this week suggesting former Tesla vice president Chris Porritt had crossed over to Apple, for a likely role developing the Apple Car.

Masiukiewicz quit Tesla in March and started at Apple earlier this month while Harvey joined Apple as a model maker in August.

The duo are said to be among a number of people working on components for Apple's electric car, said to launch in 2019 or 2020. According to commentators, Masiukiewicz experience in machining chassis, suspension, and powertrain parts, would suggest that Apple was working towards full-scale prototype vehicles, or at least taking major parts beyond the concept phase.

Apple and Tesla are known to regularly poach employees from each other.

In a lighter vein CEO Elon Musk told Handelsblatt last October, ''They have hired people we've fired. We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple.''

Meanwhile, Apple is reported to be powering ahead with its car project on the strength on its talent pool drawn from the automotive industry, including executives from companies like Tesla, Ford, GM, Volkswagen, Bosch. The pool also includes researchers with expertise in autonomous vehicles and electric car platforms