Apple computer navigation engineer departs for mysterious automaker Faraday Future
Computer vision and vehicle navigation specialist Bart Nabbe has left Apple's "Special Projects" division, and is now working at electric car company Faraday Future.
Nabbe worked for Apple's between September 2014 and July of 2016. He is adjunct faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, and has worked in robot navigation, coordination of multiple robots in hazardous environments simultaneously, robot vision improvement, and autonomous navigation in urban environments.
Previously listed as working in Apple's Special Projects division, Nabbe's body of work suggests that the specific Apple special project that he was working on is Project Titan, also known as the development group for a possible "Apple Car."
Nabbe's LinkedIn profile now lists him as the director of strategic partnerships at Faraday Future.
Faraday Future is in startup mode, and focuses on electric vehicles and autonomous navigation solutions. The company's first electric single-seat concept vehicle debuted at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, after two years in development. The company has no timeline for expansion of the line, nor has it commented on if the premiere vehicle will see retail sale.
Dan Dodge, the former CEO of QNX, left BlackBerry for Apple earlier this year. Dodge also works in Apple's Special Projects team, and is suspected to be involved in "Project Titan."
Bob Mansfield has reportedly been put in charge of Apple's automotive project, which was said to be at a crossroads in the development cycle in January.
Nabbe worked for Apple's between September 2014 and July of 2016. He is adjunct faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, and has worked in robot navigation, coordination of multiple robots in hazardous environments simultaneously, robot vision improvement, and autonomous navigation in urban environments.
Previously listed as working in Apple's Special Projects division, Nabbe's body of work suggests that the specific Apple special project that he was working on is Project Titan, also known as the development group for a possible "Apple Car."
Nabbe's LinkedIn profile now lists him as the director of strategic partnerships at Faraday Future.
Faraday Future is in startup mode, and focuses on electric vehicles and autonomous navigation solutions. The company's first electric single-seat concept vehicle debuted at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, after two years in development. The company has no timeline for expansion of the line, nor has it commented on if the premiere vehicle will see retail sale.
Dan Dodge, the former CEO of QNX, left BlackBerry for Apple earlier this year. Dodge also works in Apple's Special Projects team, and is suspected to be involved in "Project Titan."
Bob Mansfield has reportedly been put in charge of Apple's automotive project, which was said to be at a crossroads in the development cycle in January.
Comments
This may not be new, but has anyone suggested that Faraday Future is Apple Car, out in the open in plain sight!
S partnerships is more likely to mean that FF is behind the curve on autonomous drive IP and needs to cozy up with the supply base.
A retired former colleague was consulting for FF and instead of getting all new Apple gear, he bought MS because of compatibility needs with FF's Office suite (He's a master technologist but it seems computer gear and software are a void in his knowledge base.)
However, there may be other opportunities: invest; joint venture; licensing tech; contracted manufacturing ...
Yeah ask Apple how well that worked out for them when they hire that guy from IBM, Apple got sued and the guy was put on a back burner for a period of time then He finally left. For the average job no competes are not enforceable especially if you left on your own. But people who have knowledge which they only gained due to them working for the company the company can bar them from using that knowledge at another company. In this case I would say the non-compete would stand. This could be why he is the director of strategic relationships verse doing development work. This hire could be just to get this guy out of Apple even if the new company can not use his skills for a couple of years. It could slow apple down. Which it might have already done since we heard Titians is delayed.
If it is, it is some CIA-level misdirection on the part of Apple. For now, it seems like they are an entirely independent company run by Chinese Billionaire Jia Yueting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_Future