Elon Musk calls Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard,' pooh-poohs rumored Apple Car
Entrepreneur Elon Musk is apparently unconcerned that Apple could become a potential rival in the electric car space, saying the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant is where former employees go if they "don't make it" at Tesla.
![](http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/gallery/14533-10152-12816-7087-140219-Musk-l-l.jpg)
Tesla's founder told German publication Handelsblatt that engineers poached away by Apple to work on its own electric car program codenamed "Project Titan" were not important to his company.
"Important engineers? They have hired people we've fired," Musk said. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding."
When asked if he takes Apple's automotive ambitions seriously, Musk quipped, "Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?" The Tesla chief noted the distinction between producing consumer electronics and an automobile, but failed to explain how one of the world's largest companies would be unable reproduce or surpass his own success ("success" being a relative term considering Tesla is not expected to turn a profit until 2020).
"It's good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car," he said. "But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough."
Musk's sentiments are shared by others in the auto industry, including Bob Lutz, who warned that an Apple foray into cars would be a "giant money pit."
It's no secret that Apple and Tesla are vying for each other's engineers, and Musk himself said in May that attrition rates swing in Tesla's favor by a ratio of five to one. Given today's comments, it seems Tesla is getting the better deal since those on the way out are bad apples. At the time, Apple was reportedly offering some Tesla employees $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent raises to jump ship.
Apple is thought to be pushing aggressively forward on its car project, with reports earlier this year claiming hundreds of workers are assigned to the job. Despite its size, however, precious few details have leaked. AppleInsider earlier this year revealed Apple is conducting car operations out of a secretive facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., though that could change in the coming months. The company is thinking about building out a dedicated facility on a 43-acre plot of land it owns in San Jose, according to a source familiar with the matter.
![](http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/gallery/14533-10152-12816-7087-140219-Musk-l-l.jpg)
Tesla's founder told German publication Handelsblatt that engineers poached away by Apple to work on its own electric car program codenamed "Project Titan" were not important to his company.
"Important engineers? They have hired people we've fired," Musk said. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don't make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I'm not kidding."
When asked if he takes Apple's automotive ambitions seriously, Musk quipped, "Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?" The Tesla chief noted the distinction between producing consumer electronics and an automobile, but failed to explain how one of the world's largest companies would be unable reproduce or surpass his own success ("success" being a relative term considering Tesla is not expected to turn a profit until 2020).
"It's good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches. You can't just go to a supplier like Foxconn and say: Build me a car," he said. "But for Apple, the car is the next logical thing to finally offer a significant innovation. A new pencil or a bigger iPad alone were not relevant enough."
Musk's sentiments are shared by others in the auto industry, including Bob Lutz, who warned that an Apple foray into cars would be a "giant money pit."
It's no secret that Apple and Tesla are vying for each other's engineers, and Musk himself said in May that attrition rates swing in Tesla's favor by a ratio of five to one. Given today's comments, it seems Tesla is getting the better deal since those on the way out are bad apples. At the time, Apple was reportedly offering some Tesla employees $250,000 signing bonuses and 60 percent raises to jump ship.
Apple is thought to be pushing aggressively forward on its car project, with reports earlier this year claiming hundreds of workers are assigned to the job. Despite its size, however, precious few details have leaked. AppleInsider earlier this year revealed Apple is conducting car operations out of a secretive facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., though that could change in the coming months. The company is thinking about building out a dedicated facility on a 43-acre plot of land it owns in San Jose, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Comments
Now he's just talking crap.
Didn't Apple hire his head engineer?
Speaking of graveyard, where are the profits??
He's a poker player, that's for sure. Remember the old saying, "never let 'em see you sweat"?
Why doesn't Apple just buy Tesla?
Why? What is it that Tesla has that Apple couldn't replicate?
Why? What is it that Tesla has that Apple couldn't replicate?
The experience?
Why bother paying for Tesla when you can let them lose money on every car while you hire their talent away from them and take a new and better approach to electric cars?
Why bother paying for Tesla when you can let them lose money on every car while you hire their talent away from them and take a new and better approach to electric cars?
If Apple can do that. They have no track record when it comes to car. (I know they didn't for phone either but this is the whole 'nother level.)
Isn't there a saying that you never punch down? Musk wouldn't be throwing shade like this if he wasn't worried about what Apple is doing.
What track record did Musk have have when it comes to cars?
This sours me a bit on Musk. Had some respect for him, but this is just petty and stupid for a leader like him. Why bother? He should take the high road. Oh, and Elon, when you say, "I'm not kidding" It seems you might be protesting too much. Apple's hiring is hitting close to home or he wouldn't be trash talking like this. Cocky SOB.
His confidence and trash talking is no different from Steve Jobs' trash talking Apple's competition. They all do it.
The experience of losing money? Or the experience of having a cult that Apple couldn't even come close to rivaling?
If Apple can do that. They have no track record when it comes to car. (I know they didn't for phone either but this is the whole 'nother level.)
Why does everyone say that cars are on another level? They are not. If anything, the tech industry is another whole level. Cars get the same crappy mileage and all look the same for years. Doesn't seem like a particularly demanding bunch of consumers to me. The tech industry demands doubling of horsepower and a brand new design every other year. That takes constant innovation.
They are making a quality product and investing heavily to further their development. I don't see why we need Tesla to ask like an established company with more profit than it knows what to do with. like Apple or MS. Telsa has been doing fine work, has created an Apple-like mindshare among automobile buyers around the world despite not having the same pervasive coverage or money. That's impressive... and important.
How exactly do they buy the experience? Where is this "the experience" patented, copyrighted, trademarked, or in another way protected so that Apple can't offer it to their customers without buying Tesla?
Let's remember where Musk started with Tesla, what year that was, and how much the landscape has changed for automobiles, EVs, and CE in that time frame, not to mention all those Tesla patents that are available for Apple to use. I don't think Apple will have a problem creating whatever experience they want in an EV since the most important parts of the experience is the UI, where Apple repeatedly dominates.