Apple hands big RSU bonuses
Apple awarded rare, multi‑year RSU bonuses — up to about $400,000 — to select iPhone hardware designers to fight poaching from OpenAI and device‑focused AI startups. The awards vest through 2030 and are being read internally as a long‑term retention play tied to Apple’s AI hardware roadmap. (macrumors.com)
Bloomberg says the awards were issued out‑of‑cycle and described internally as separate from Apple’s routine compensation review process. (bloomberg.com) Apple’s iPhone product design organization reports into its hardware engineering group under senior VP John Ternus, and the day‑to‑day PD lead on the team is Rich Dinh. (bloomberg.com) OpenAI’s consumer‑device hardware effort is run in part by former Apple veteran Tang Tan, who previously oversaw the iPhone product design team. (bloomberg.com) Bloomberg reports OpenAI has recruited several dozen former Apple engineers and has engaged ex‑Apple design chief Jony Ive on its product work. (bloomberg.com) The same report notes some AI startups have been offering individual Apple engineers stock packages on the order of about $1 million per year to leave, creating high external recruitment pressure. (bloomberg.com) Apple previously used targeted RSU retention grants during earlier poaching waves in 2021–2022, when select engineers received special awards up to roughly $180,000, according to contemporaneous reporting. (macrumors.com)
