Apple hires former Samsung exec to lead its battery division
Cupertino is taking another step to move everything in-house.
Apple has poached the head of Samsung's battery division to lead its own battery development efforts. Cupertino hired Samsung SDI's Soonho Ahn to become its Global Head of Battery Developments, Bloomberg has reported after spotting the major career move on his LinkedIn profile. Ahn has started working with Apple back in December 2018 after four years with Samsung, two years of which he spent as the SVP for Next Generation Batteries and Materials Innovation. He was in charge of developing new battery technologies not just for mobile devices, but also for electric vehicles and ebikes.
Samsung SDI is the conglomerate's battery-making subsidiary, and it even used to supply batteries for iPads and MacBooks years ago. While Apple simply changed suppliers back then, it's clear from recent developments that the tech giant is taking steps to stop relying on other companies for the components it needs. In mid-2018, for instance, it was revealed that the company is working on custom Mac processors to replace Intel's in its laptops. It even reportedly enlisted the help of former Intel employees to build an in-house processor, and that's what might be happening here, as well.
