OpenAI Poaches Apple Talent, Apple Offers Stock Incentives to Retain Employees

AirdropBlackHole · 2026-03-28T10:33:16+00:00

Apple has introduced stock incentives for iPhone hardware designers to retain talent amid competition from AI startups like OpenAI, offering bonuses of $200,000 to $400,000 over four years. These measures respond to employee poaching, as OpenAI continues to aggressively hire former Apple engineers.

AirdropBlackHole

2026-03-28 10:33:16

Abstract generation in progress

On March 27, Bloomberg reported that Apple has issued stock incentives to iPhone hardware designers this week to prevent employees from leaving for AI startups like OpenAI. Sources revealed that Apple granted several employees in the iPhone product design team ‘special bonuses’ worth between $200,000 and $400,000, distributed in stock over four years, with employees required to stay for four years to receive the full benefits, which may ultimately yield higher returns depending on stock prices. The report indicated that Apple management is concerned about engineers being poached by competitors, with OpenAI posing a particularly significant threat. Since 2023, OpenAI has hired dozens of engineers from Apple and plans to expand its workforce from 4,500 to 8,000 by the end of 2026. Apple’s issuance of special bonuses is a direct response to the talent acquisition efforts of AI companies. However, the bonuses offered by Apple are still significantly lower than those provided by companies like OpenAI, which reportedly offer individual stock incentives of around $1 million per year.

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