Apple may have killed this electric motorcycle startup in the womb

Let’s be honest, would you rather work for a startup that works on electric motorcycles, or would you rather work for Apple on one of its super secret projects? The vast majority of people out there would choose the latter, which is what forced Mission Motors to close up shop. According to former CEO Derek Kaufman, his company was working on some electric motorcycles, but Apple ended up stealing most of its engineers in order to work on its own all-electric vehicle, which basically neutered the company before it could create its intended product. 

For all the excitement surrounding the potential Apple car project, it has left much destruction in its wake. That is, if the former employees of now-defunct electric motorcycle-maker Mission Motors is to be believed. While the reported Project Titan — the program allegedly overseeing the development of an Apple car — grows, it absorbs more and more automotive industry talent. For companies like Mercedes-Benz, losing some top engineers isn’t more than a slight setback. For an upstart like San Francisco-based Mission Motors, which closed up shop for good in May, it’s downright devastating. According to a Reuters report , former CEO of Mission Motors Derek Kaufman believes Apple’s eagerness to attract electric powertrain engineers from the upstart killed the company’s ability to innovate and compete. “Mission had a great group of engineers, specifically electric drive expertise,” Kaufman told Reuters. “Apple knew that – they wanted it, and they went and got it.” This isn’t the only company ravaged by Apple’s talent grab. Battery-maker A123 Systems sued Apple in February for hiring away some of its lead engineers. Even Elon Musk recently claimed that employees he fired all wind up at Apple — presumably under Project Titan.