Apple wants to hire 20,000 employees, but faces a lack of AI talents

Good morning. Apple CEO (AAPL3), Tim Cook, is planning to invest heavily in American innovation.

The technology giant announced on Monday (24) an investment of $ 500 billion in the US over the next four years, which will include projects such as a new Houston server factory, scheduled to open in 2026, and a supply academy in Michigan. Apple said it hopes to hire about 20,000 workers during this period.

The company has already made similar ads in the past, including during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018, when he decided that the iPhone would be exempt from a list of feed products. Also in 2021, under former President Biden, Apple said it would spend $ 430 billion in five years and hire 20,000 people.

Despite these initiatives, Apple currently manufactures the vast majority of iPhones and other products in China, where tariffs began to take effect earlier this month. Monday’s investment announcement is Apple’s biggest US spending commitment to this day and suggests a more coordinated effort to change its manufacturing strategy-and obtain political concessions.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s announcement about increasing US investment and hiring 20,000 US employees would be part of an agreement to exempt the company from tariffs on imported products from China,” said Peter Cohan, a associate management professor at Babson College.

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Apple’s $ 500 billion value probably includes “research and development spending, data centers, the new Houston factory, supply chain support, original training and content such as films and programs for Apple TV+service,” Bank of America’s research analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote on a note on Monday. Mohan added that the investment “in most of these categories was probably already in spending planning, however, Apple may have shifted part of the investment to the US.” Bank of America analysts do not expect a change in capital return plans, he said.

‘Hiring the right talent’

CFOs claim that finding the right technological talent is more important than ever. And research shows that three of the ten largest short -term risks for executives and board members revolve around labor and talent.

Apple plans to hire about 20,000 people who will be focused mainly on research and development, silicon engineering, software development and AI and machine learning, the company said.

“Competition for skills and expertise in IA continues to increase,” said Tim Herbert, Research Director of Comptia Inc., a global IT training and certification supplier. “As companies from all sectors of the economy seek talent to support their AI initiatives, there will be inevitably scarcity or at least longer or challenging recruitment efforts.” An analysis of Compia on Lightcast job ads shows that the volume of recruitment of employers for AI -dedicated functions, such as AI engineer, doubled approximately year after year, Herbert said.

The race for investment in IA is underway among large technology companies that will need high -level talents, such as the goal, which is accelerating the process of hiring machine learning engineers.

Meanwhile, Cohan agreed that Apple will have to compete for talents. “So far, Apple’s AI, like Apple Intelligence, has been disappointing, but they could change it by hiring the right talent and managing the process more effectively,” he said.

Cohan also added: “It may be that the pressure to hire so many talented people convince the president to allow more visas H-1B so that talent can move to the US.”