Ex-Tesla exec Doug Field is back at Apple, working on Project Titan

Apple
CEO Tim Cook and Didi Chuxing’s Jean Liu take a car in
China.
Apple

• Doug Field, a former Apple engineer who jumped to Tesla
  in 2013 and eventually oversaw production of the Tesla Model 3,
  is back at Apple and he’s working with the team in charge of
  Apple’s self-driving car program.
• Field rejoined Bob Mansfield, who is leading Apple’s
  Project Titan, tech journalist John Gruber and Reuters reported
  late Thursday night.
• Field stepped away from Tesla in May. The electric-car
  maker officially announced his departure in July.
• Project Titan has shown signs of life in recent weeks,
  despite earlier rumors that the division was flailing.

Doug Field, a former engineering executive who previously oversaw
the production of the Tesla Model 3, has returned to Apple to
work with Bob Mansfield, who is leading Apple’s self-driving car
program, Project
Titan.

Field last worked in Apple’s Mac division in 2013, before going
to Tesla. He stepped away from the electric-car maker in May, and
Tesla officially announced his departure in July.

Tech correspondent John
Gruber and Reuters reported Field’s new role at Apple late
Thursday night.

The news follows revelations about Project Titan that emerged
last month, hinting that the program was apparently more robust
than previously thought. According to
an affidavit filed in an FBI investigation, Apple has been
working on components that could be used in some type of vehicle.

Apple was also building prototypes and had requirements for
power, battery system, and “drivetrain suspension mounts,”
according to the affidavit.

Perhaps the biggest hint was that some 5,000 employees were given
access to information about “the Project,” as it’s described in
the affidavit. Previous estimates pegged the number at about
1,000.

Kif Leswing contributed to this report.

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