re "You do realize that MSFT writes Apple's code don't you?"
How does that square with all these software engineers at Apple?
In reversal, Apple is now hiring more software engineers than hardware
bizjournals.com
By Luke Stangel – Contributing writer, Silicon Valley Business Journal
Mar 5, 2019, 5:54am PST Updated Mar 5, 2019, 9:10am PST
For the first time since at least 2016, Apple Inc. is now hiring more software engineers than hardware engineers, according to new data from Thinknum, a startup that tracks changes to corporate websites.
As of late February, Apple had about 1,360 open job listings in software and services, and a little more than 1,000 listings for hardware engineers, according to Thinknum.
Software job listings apparently overtook hardware listings in the latter half of 2018.
Apple’s shift in engineering demand comes as the Cupertino-based computing giant grapples with plateauing sales of the iPhone and no clear hardware successor on the shelf.
On its way into the 2018 holiday season, Apple said it expected to rake in between $89 billion to $93 billion in sales revenue. Instead, it missed by a wide margin, pulling in just $84.3 billion.
Apple has a global workforce of 132,000 workers, about half of whom are retail employees. Its highest-paid positions are concentrated around its headquarters in Cupertino. The company is Silicon Valley's largest technology employer, with roughly 26,000 employees in the region and in Cupertino alone, Apple employs almost two-thirds of the city’s total workforce.
Apple hopes it can find growth by instead extracting more recurring subscription revenue from its installed base of users. Apple’s Services business, which includes App Store sales, digital downloads and subscriptions, pulled in $10.9 billion in the most recent quarter.
Services could grow to a $100 billion-per-year business by 2023, analysts at Morgan Stanley estimated last year. Apple is expected to unveil additional subscription services at an event on March 25. That could include the company’s much-anticipated streaming video service, designed to take on Netflix, Amazon.com and Hulu. |
