---
title: "Apple grants rare bonuses to iPhone designers to counter AI companies poaching talent"
type: "News"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/280691696.md"
description: "Apple Inc. issued rare bonuses to iPhone hardware designers this week to prevent them from moving to AI startups like OpenAI. The company granted special bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to several members of the design team in response to the threat posed by potential competitors. The bonuses are awarded in the form of stock units, vesting over four years, and employees must remain at Apple to receive the full benefits"
datetime: "2026-03-26T21:35:38.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280691696.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/280691696.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280691696.md)
---

> Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280691696.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280691696.md)


# Apple grants rare bonuses to iPhone designers to counter AI companies poaching talent

Apple Inc. issued rare bonuses to iPhone hardware designers this week to prevent them from moving to AI startups like OpenAI that are developing their own devices.

According to informed sources, the company awarded special bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to several members of the iPhone product design team.

Apple's management is increasingly concerned about potential competitors poaching engineers. OpenAI has become a particularly prominent threat, as the company has invited former Apple design chief Jony Ive to help design the next generation of AI-centric products.

The bonuses, which are not publicly disclosed and were reported by unnamed sources, are issued in the form of stock units that vest over four years, meaning employees must stay at Apple to receive the full benefits. This is a common structure in Apple's equity compensation plan

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