Google hires away Apple's Manu Gulati to work on chips for new Pixel models

Google has reportedly recruited Manu Gulati — formerly a key Apple chip designer — to become its lead system-on-chip architect, working on components for future Pixel smartphones.

Gulati left Apple a few weeks ago, despite only changing his LinkedIn profile today, Variety sources said. The designer first joined Apple in Aug. 2009, and is said to have been heavily involved in custom chips for the iPhone, and iPad, and Apple TV. He's also credited in 15 different Apple patents, including one on the Secure Enclave concept used in devices with Touch ID.

Google is apparently accelerating its hiring efforts in chip design, Variety indicated, including seeking "mobile SoC" architects" for unspecified phones and tablets.

The Pixel is designed by Google, but still relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor like many other Android devices. Shifting to a custom chip should allow the company to better optimize its hardware for speed and battery life.

Apple's A-series mobile processors are in fact built on the same philosophy, and often credited as a competitive advantage. If successful, a Google processor might reduce any performance gap with Apple, narrowing competition to software, design, and miscellaneous other features.

Apple has already expanded into other arenas of chip design, for instance through the W1 wireless chip used in AirPods and Beats products like the Powerbeats3. Another chip handles the MacBook Pro Touch Bar, and the company is allegedly working on an ARM-based processor to handle low-power Mac functions.

57 Comments

SpamSandwich 32917 comments · 19 Years

About 7 years ago

Why is Variety reporting on employee movement between Apple and Google? They have lost the thread on their reporting.

evilution 1395 comments · 13 Years

When will Android phone makers realise that having a more streamlined OS is better than just increasing the chip speed?
Putting a jet engine on a bus might make it fast but it's not better than a race car.

jbdragon 2312 comments · 10 Years

Is Google trying to copy the iPhone even more then they have already? The Pixel hasn't sold in great numbers. Android in general doesn't make a whole lot of profits for anyone other then Samesung and even that is a fraction of the iPhone. Does Google have a lot of money to dump into making their own chips? Let alone a high end market to sell enough phones to even make it worth it? One thing is for sure, it's not going to happen overnight.

qwwera 282 comments · 8 Years

This will help keep Apple from complacency. Which is great for consumers.
Competition is a win for all.

gmgravytrain 883 comments · 8 Years

jbdragon said:

Is Google trying to copy the iPhone even more then they have already? The Pixel hasn't sold in great numbers. Android in general doesn't make a whole lot of profits for anyone other then Samesung and even that is a fraction of the iPhone. Does Google have a lot of money to dump into making their own chips? Let alone a high end market to sell enough phones to even make it worth it? One thing is for sure, it's not going to happen overnight.

They're doing it to effectively drive Google's share price higher. You should realize investors don't always need to see results. All they really want is to hear about how a successful product might increase future returns. You should realize that most of Google's moonshot projects never produce profitable results but each of those projects brings more investors on board and Google's share price rises that much higher. That's what makes Google more valuable to Wall Street than Apple.

All Google has to do is keep pushing more ambitious projects. Let everyone know they're making strides to being just like Apple and their share price will jump in accordance. Once Google can boast that it's Pixel's SoC is as powerful as Apple's A-series processors, Google will be claimed to have stolen Apple's hardware crown and Apple will be devalued even further than it already is. It's all about creating favorable perceptions and Google is the master at that. Apple is creating very poor perceptions of its company and that's destroying its value.