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Elon Musk says Apple hires the people that Tesla fires

Elon Musk says Apple hires the people that Tesla fires

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He also doesn't seem too impressed with the Apple Watch

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Elon Musk doesn't seem to hold Apple in very high regard anymore. In a recent interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, the Tesla CEO took two very aggressive swipes at the company that could one day challenge him in the automotive industry. First, Musk suggested that Apple has been eager to recruit engineers and other employees who failed to pull their weight or make any significant impact while working at Tesla. "They have hired people we’ve fired," Musk said. "We always jokingly call Apple the 'Tesla Graveyard.' If you don’t make it at Tesla, you go work at Apple. I’m not kidding," Musk added. It appears this interview happened at the end of September; Business Insider reported on Musk's Apple-focused criticisms.

During the interview, as he's done before, Musk admitted that an Apple car is "the next logical thing" for Tim Cook and Co. to focus on. He could've stopped there, wished Apple well, and encouraged the competition. But that's not quite what Elon did. Instead, he threw Apple's latest major product right under the bus. Handelsblatt notes that he asked, "Did you ever take a look at the Apple Watch?" And then he laughed after the question. "No, seriously: It’s good that Apple is moving and investing in this direction. But cars are very complex compared to phones or smartwatches." In February, Musk said Apple becoming an carmaker would be "a great idea." Great idea or not, it's one he seems to have already written off. The most recent rumors have said Apple's electric car may be ready by 2019.


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