Apple's My New Boss, Color Engineer Says on Twitter
A Color iOS engineer updated his Twitter profile to say he works for Apple, buttressing reports that Apple is acquiring staff from the spectacularly unsuccessful app maker. — Eric Cheng graduated from the University of Pennsylvania earlier …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple has been quietly assembling outside interface talent: in December 2011 it hired designer Jan-Michael Cart, who had drawn attention for his iOS interface concepts. This report extends that pattern into startup territory — engineer Eric Cheng, a University of Pennsylvania graduate working on the Color iOS app, changed his Twitter profile to say he now works for Apple.
The profile change is confirmed; what it buttresses is not. Reports circulating on October 22, 2012 suggest Apple is acquiring staff from Color, an app maker Wired describes as spectacularly unsuccessful — meaning the value being bought is people, not product. CNET picked up the same story the same day, giving a one-line tweet unusually wide circulation.
First-order effects
- Eric Cheng moves from Color to Apple, adding hands-on iOS color and imaging engineering to Apple's in-house interface team.
- Color loses engineering staff while the reported staff acquisition remains unconfirmed by either company, leaving the startup's remaining team and roadmap in question.
Second-order effects
- For venture-backed consumer app makers with weak traction, Apple's willingness to hire teams out of failing products establishes a talent-sale exit alongside outright shutdown, changing how founders and their backers weigh endgames.
- Rival platforms and acquirers now compete against Apple in a market where a single engineer's public profile update can signal a deal before any announcement.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds — targeted hires like Cart in 2011 plus team pickups from unsuccessful startups — the independent iOS app ecosystem increasingly functions as a recruiting feed for Apple's own software organization, concentrating mobile interface expertise inside the platform owner.
The trend: Apple is building its iOS interface and engineering bench through selective external hires, treating struggling startups' teams as a talent supply line rather than acquisition targets for their products.