Apple's anticipated automotive project has led the company to recruit talent from competing companies both big and small. But its wooing of top-level engineers from a San Francisco-based electric vehicle startup is said to have been so significant, it caused that company to close its doors earlier this year.
The "Mission R" motorcycle from Mission Motors was never released.
Mission Motors filed for bankruptcy in September, but ceased operations in May after some of its top talent fled for positions at Apple, Reuters reported on Monday. Prior to its closure, Mission was an electric motorcycle builder founded in 2007 which also supplied electric vehicle components.
The private, venture-capital funded operation remained small --Â its Wikipedia page suggests it had just 35 employees, explaining why a few key hires by Apple could allegedly collapse the company. Apple is believed to have hired key personnel from other, much larger companies, including the likes of Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz, and Tesla.