We all know that Samsung is one of the largest manufacturer and designer of electronic components in the world, with the brand considered to be a leader when it comes to chip manufacturing and image processing. According to a new report from Korea Times, a number of Samsung engineers – who are experts in the image processing, signal processing, and battery departments – are being aggressively poached by Apple. Samsung officials say that a lot of engineering experts from the Korean electronics giant are being lured by highly-competitive benefits and large paychecks.
According to a Samsung executive:
“Some of our personnel have been hired by Apple. They now work at Apple's headquarters in San Jose, California“, while one official said, “Those Samsung officials are given greater independence to proceed with their tasks. Apple prefers to use Samsung's chip experts because they are very diligent, mission-oriented and are prepared to acquire new knowledge.“
Earlier this month, there was a rumour that Apple might be building electric cars, with that reason cited as the main one for luring engineers knowledgeable in battery-realted technologies away from Samsung. Samsung SDI is a leading supplier and currently counts BMW as one of its clients when it comes to batteries for electrical vehicles. “As the electric vehicle business is a new one, Apple needs patents and experts in battery technology. Top human resources firms have been approaching Samsung's battery experts, individually, and I think such human exchange moves are a win-win for both,” said one official from Samsung. Apple is said to have hired a large number of experts from A123 and Tesla as well.
It is also possible that those engineers might work on improving the battery life of Apple's next-generation smartwatches, given the fact that Samsung has already displayed its technological prowess by introducing curved batteries.