Home / Technology / Airbnb CTO Hire Reveals Apple's Past Self-Driving Ambitions
Airbnb CTO Hire Reveals Apple's Past Self-Driving Ambitions
16 Jan
Summary
- Airbnb's new CTO, Ahmad Al-Dahle, previously led Apple's autonomous car group.
- Apple's self-driving car project was confirmed indirectly via an internal Airbnb memo.
- Al-Dahle also contributed to Apple Watch and Meta's Generative AI initiatives.
A surprising confirmation of Apple's autonomous vehicle project has surfaced, not from Apple itself, but through an internal announcement at Airbnb. Ahmad Al-Dahle, the newly appointed CTO of Airbnb, was revealed to have led Apple's autonomous technology group from 2014, developing core AI systems for the company's self-driving car initiative. This disclosure aligns with years of speculation and provides one of the clearest acknowledgments of the project's existence.
Al-Dahle's tenure at Apple spanned significant product development, beginning before the first iPhone and including contributions to the Apple Watch. He departed Apple in 2020, moving to Meta where he focused on AI, including their Generative AI group and the launch of Llama. The unconventional method of confirmation—via a hiring announcement—highlights the secretive nature of tech giants and the indirect ways significant information can emerge.
