Apple’s secretive car project loses yet another top executive

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Moore, the former software engineer who left to join Apple's secretive car project last year, has joined the company as its new head. Moore was at Apple for seven months.

Moore is among a group of top executives from other leading companies who joined the company. His departure from Apple is another indication of the tech giant's struggles to retain talent for its befuddled efforts to make an electric car.

Austin Russell, CEO of Luminar, said in a statement that they are attracting the best leaders in the world to execute their vision and deliver on the future of transportation. A person from Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Over the past several years, Apple's car division has undergone numerous changes. Last year, the project's chief, Doug Field, left Apple to join Ford, where he was later put in charge of digital systems at the automaker's newly created Model E division. Kevin Lynch, who ran Apple's Watch division after serving as Adobe's chief technology officer, was tapped to replace Field.

In November 2021, Moore joined Apple to work on self-driving software, reporting to Stuart Bowers, who previously served as the vice president of engineering.

Work on an electric vehicle is still in its early stages, despite the fact that the project started in 2004. Apple had previously stated that it only intended to develop self-driving software that would be utilized by other carmakers.

A year ago, it was reported that Apple had finished work on a new processor that would power an electric vehicle. The company was speeding up the development of its self-driving car, with a new target of launching it in just four years. After multiple pivots, the goal is to create a car that does not have a steering wheel.

Moore is an interesting addition to the team. According to a memo of a call with officials from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, he pushed back against Musk's claims about the company.

Russell has doubts about Musk's claims. In an interview with The Verge last year, Russell argued that the company has sunk into a deep hole.

Despite Musk's mockery of lidar as a "crutch" and a "fool's errand", it is rumored that the company has a partnership with the company.