Apple has issued rare out-of-cycle bonuses worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of its iPhone Product Design team in an effort to slow a wave of departures to artificial intelligence startups building competing devices.
The bonuses, granted as stock units that vest over four years, are worth roughly $200,000 to $400,000 per employee over the full vesting period, with the potential for a larger payoff depending on Apple’s stock performance. The structure is designed to keep engineers in place, as employees must remain at the company to receive the full value of the awards. Apple has not commented publicly on the move.
