Apple Loses Long Serving Store Manager to Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) sources report that the Apple Inc. store leader Niten Kapadia is apparently leaving for Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). Mr. Kapadia announced the news of the departure on the business social media platform, LinkedIn. He, however, did not mention where he is headed to after Apple, but Apple Insider reports that he is going to Tesla.

Mr. Kapadia spent thirteen years at Apple and at one time was the leader of the Third Street Promenade outlet for seven years. In his new role at Tesla, he is expected to manage the LA County showroom’s of Tesla. The two companies, Apple, and Tesla have been involved in an employee and expert coaching battle, and they also top the employee demand list at Silicon Valley.

Tesla’s demand for employees arose recently primarily because of the great demand for the new Tesla Model 3 car. The number of orders for the car stands at 400,000 at the moment. Thus, the company is trying to increase effort and alleviate demand by improving infrastructure and capacity at its workshops. The company is expected to hire more people in the near future, in time for the 2017 deliveries of the cheaper and affordable Tesla Model 3.

Apple on the other hand, is thinking of making a car of its own. The news is still not regarded as true at the moment, but rumors suggest the Apple car might be available by 2019 or 2024. They do however face great competition if they decide to enter the electric car market, judging by the number of orders and queue which is there for the Tesla Model 3 car. Analysts say that after the smartphone venture is dried up the next big thing in the tech world will be the self-driving car industry.

Apple might not start with a self-driving car, but may bring which still has some autonomous features. Tesla, however, has a foothold in this department because of its autopilot system, which is expected to keep them a step ahead of competitors.

Mr Kapadia’s departure from Apple is most prominent because it is one of a few high-profile cases recently. One other case, is of Danny Coster, who was part of Jon Ive’s design team and is credited with the Apple’s iconic Bondi Blue Mac. Mr Coster left Apple to join the GoPro team as the Vice president of design.

It seems Apple’s design philosophy keeps on changing at the moment, and chances are high that we will see future departures and arrivals at the companies.