Apple is offering restricted stock units worth between $200,000 and $400,000 to members of its iPhone Product Design team, with the grants vesting over four years to lock in retention as AI companies intensify their recruiting of hardware talent, according to Bloomberg. OpenAI has already hired more than 40 former Apple employees, many contributing to advanced hardware projects, prompting Apple leadership to take aggressive steps to protect its design expertise following high-profile departures including that of Jony Ive. Apple has used RSU retention programs before, rolling out similar packages across silicon engineering, software, and operations teams between 2021 and 2022.
