Apple has been issuing significant stock bonuses to some engineers to retain talent as tech rival Meta becomes competition.
Meta is the parent organization of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The talent war between the rivals has been brewing in Silicon Valley since Meta's emergence on Oct. 29.
Meta, in recent months, has hired about 100 Apple engineers as it focuses on hardware such as virtual reality headsets and smartwatches, according to Bloomberg.
Now, Apple is moving to incentivize their employees to stay. Bloomberg reported that the company informed engineers in silicon design, hardware, and select software and operations groups that they would be receiving the bonuses in the form of restricted stock units.
The shares vest over four years, providing an incentive for top-notch employees to stay with Apple.
Anonymous people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg the bonuses came as a surprise to many employees and range from $50,000 to $180,000 in some cases. The incentive bonus is not public and has been presented by managers as a reward for high performers.