Head of Apple’s electric car project leaving the company

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Apple is losing long-time veteran and VP of Product Design Steve Zadesky, reports The Wall Street Journal. Zadesky has been with the company for 16 years, where he worked on the iPhone and iPod, and most recently spearheaded its ambitious automobile efforts.

According to the Journal, in 2014, Apple gave Zadesky permission to start investigating possibilities for its entry into the electric car market. A source familiar with the matter indicated he is leaving due to personal reasons, and not for issues related to ‘Project Titan.’

There have been issues though. “The team has encountered problems,” sources told the Journal, “in laying out clear goals for the project. Apple has urged it to push ahead with ambitious deadlines even though some on the team felt that those targets weren’t attainable.”

Apple hasn’t publicly confirmed that it’s working on an electric car, but it’s common knowledge in Silicon Valley. It’s been called the “worst kept secret in tech.” The company is believed to have a team of some of the industry’s best engineers working to ship a car by 2019.

Source: The Wall Street Journal