• Apple aggressively recruiting ex-Google Maps developers to improve its maps service
    19 replies, posted
[url]http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/23/source-apple-aggressively-recruiting-ex-google-maps-staff-to-build-out-ios-maps/[/url] [quote=TechCrunch]Apple is going after people with experience working on Google Maps to develop its own product, according to a source with connections on both teams. Using recruiters, Apple is pursuing a strategy of luring away Google Maps employees who helped develop the search giant’s product on contract, and many of those individuals seem eager to accept due in part to the opportunity Apple represents to build new product, instead of just doing “tedious updates” on a largely complete platform. My source — a contractor who worked on Google Maps as part of a massive undertaking to integrate Street View and newly licensed third-party data to improve European coverage, as well as develop the platform’s turn-by-turn navigation — says that when attention turned to indoor mapping, things started to become less interesting and a lot of staff began looking around for other opportunities. That turned out to be good timing for Cupertino. Here’s what my source describes happening around that time: [quote=Deep Throat]Many of my coworkers at Google Maps eventually left when their contracts ended or on their own accord. One guy looked around for other GIS work and ended up at Apple when a recruiter contacted him. He had heard rumors for a while that Apple was going to develop its own in-house mapping platform, and given his experience at Google, he was an easy hire. Apple went out of their way to bring him down to Cupertino and he’s now paid hansomly as a GIS Analyst. Another coworker that was a project lead at Google Maps, left for the East Coast after his contract ended, and was recently contacted by an Apple recruiter. The position sounds like a product development manager position, and will pay him $85k+ and all the moving expenses from the East Coast. He’s gone through 2 rounds of interview and seems like a frontrunner to land that position.[/quote] The interest in ex-Googlers is well-placed, he says, and it does seem like Apple is actively looking for more talent to add to its team, according to recent job listings the company has posted. And while there’s a tough road ahead for Apple playing catch-up in this area, my source believes that the possibility of building a platform that truly competes with Google Maps is well within reach for Apple. [quote=Deep Throat]Apple has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to build a robust mapping platform to counter Google Maps, so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s going out of its way to lure former and current Google Maps employees. At Google Maps, we know what data’s important, rendering priorities, keyword searches, and how the user experience is suppose to be. However, Apple needs to find a way to get its own 5 million miles of street view data, partner with the right folks, and spend a fortune on licensed data – which it can.[/quote][/quote]
So they can't fix their own service?
-sna-
I'm sure this can somehow be twisted into Apple copying Google at this point. Question is: if it can be done so it looks legit.
At least they know that Google Maps is better than their [I]maps[/I] service
Is that how the saying goes? If you can't beat them, take their ex-employees?
I may have missed something a while back, but why are they no longer using Google Maps to begin with? It's not like Google Maps was created in a short amount of time to be where it is now, it has years behind it. In that, there's no way Apple Maps is going to even come close to it in a short amount of time, and any time Apple takes to make Apple Maps better, in that same amount of time Google will still be updating and improving its maps services, so really, Apple Maps is probably always going to be inferior, so why the switch?
How can you "aggressively hire" someone? They're not forcing them to work. Oh right, hurr durr apple worst company
"HEY YOU, YEAH YOU, WORK FOR US, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR USSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS" That's how
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;37788312]How can you "aggressively hire" someone? They're not forcing them to work. Oh right, hurr durr apple worst company[/QUOTE] Well, instead of, say, just passively waiting for some experienced programmer to apply, they put it out there that they are looking for a good maps programmer. They probably call people offering them a job and stuff.
From a business standpoint it does make sense that they'd do this. They know their map service is worse so they turn to people who have experience with the better service. [QUOTE=milkandcooki;37788312]How can you "aggressively hire" someone? They're not forcing them to work.[/QUOTE] Aggressively recruiting implies things such as refusing to take no as an answer and being very thorough about it.
I just quoted TechCrunch, they said aggressively recruiting :C
[QUOTE=milkandcooki;37788312]How can you "aggressively hire" someone? They're not forcing them to work. Oh right, hurr durr apple worst company[/QUOTE] Basically they're purposely tracking up & head-hunting any of the former employees & contractors that have worked on Google Maps. And then continuously bombard them with job offers. [B]THAT'S[/B] "aggressively hiring" people, instead of just putting a advert in a big newspaper & similar urging people who used to work with Google Maps to contact Apple about a job offer. [editline]25th September 2012[/editline] It's a dirty approach, but a legal one.
When something this easy can be used against you in both advertising and by word of mouth, you really want to recruit better, and fast.
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[QUOTE=JoshJosh117;37788607]I see nothing wrong with this. If they want to improve their service, hiring people with actual experience seems like a perfectly logical response.[/QUOTE] Agreed, Apple hiring talent to improve their service is something pretty much anyone would do in this situation.
[QUOTE=smurfy;37788021]Deep Throat posted: [/QUOTE] God dammit smurfy
[QUOTE=Panda X;37788306]I may have missed something a while back, but why are they no longer using Google Maps to begin with? It's not like Google Maps was created in a short amount of time to be where it is now, it has years behind it. In that, there's no way Apple Maps is going to even come close to it in a short amount of time, and any time Apple takes to make Apple Maps better, in that same amount of time Google will still be updating and improving its maps services, so really, Apple Maps is probably always going to be inferior, so why the switch?[/QUOTE] IIRC, they had a contract that ran out, and now neither side likes the other enough to renew it.
Looks like another thing Apple wants to be the best at.
[QUOTE=Panda X;37788306]I may have missed something a while back, but why are they no longer using Google Maps to begin with? It's not like Google Maps was created in a short amount of time to be where it is now, it has years behind it. In that, there's no way Apple Maps is going to even come close to it in a short amount of time, and any time Apple takes to make Apple Maps better, in that same amount of time Google will still be updating and improving its maps services, so really, Apple Maps is probably always going to be inferior, so why the switch?[/QUOTE] Apple wanted to give Siri voiced turn-by-turn navigation, which is not allowed under the Google Maps third party agreements.
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