Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has stepped up its efforts toward new, innovative products by securing the services of former Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) UI design manager Chris Weeldreyer, to become the company’s product manager. Facebook has been looking to add to its current portfolio of employees, albeit losing some of its own employees.
Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer recently announced that he is leaving the company to start his own business. Mr. Bret Taylor did dot comment on the nature of his next venture.
The acquisition of Weeldreyer comes as a surprise to many people as there was no vacancy advert for the position. This makes it look like a poacher’s game. The new product manager was a key asset to Apple, in its UI Design unit, and perhaps, Facebook will be looking to capitalize on the same skill. He boasts skills in Industrial Design, Interaction Design, and User Interface Design among others as profiled in Linkedin.
The move also brings in another type of relationship between the two companies. Both companies have recently moved closer together, when Apple announced the launch of Facebook integrated iPads during the WWDC. Apple’s products have always been unique in design and performance, and Facebook might be looking to emulate the success of Chris Weeldreyer’s former company.
Weeldreyer spent more than 8 years at Apple, having joined the company in November, 2003 and left in February 2012, as indicated in his LinkedIn profile. He also has work experience at Cooper Software Developers as a Principal Design Consultant after short stints at Pantagram and Frogdesigns.
