Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is a company that is primed to do big things. It needs the appropriate leadership in place to accomplish that, of course, and so it's going out to get the personnel it requires. This means reaching out to areas of other industries to find new folks for the right positions.

Apple apparently has such folks, because Tesla just commandeered some top-flight talent from the computer and software maker, in the form of Doug Field.

Field is the now-former Vice President of Mac Hardware Engineering for Apple. At Tesla, Field's role will be Vice President of Vehicle Programs.

That's a big grab for Tesla, and it makes sense to secure someone from the technology industry. After all, the products being produced by Tesla are essentially the intersection of tech and automotive. (And isn't that center stack in the Model S really a supersized iPad?) The position requires him to help lead the development of new vehicles for Tesla, which means the automaker is serious about bringing a more robust portfolio of vehicles to the market.

This isn't Mr. Fields first foray into the automotive world either. He previously worked as an engineer for Ford, which means he has a strong understanding of the requirements of both industries.

Be they fully autonomous machinesor derivatives of the Model S and upcoming Model X, Doug Field definitely has his work cut out for him. It's the type of challenge, however, that we imagine someone in that spot would love to tackle, head-on. 

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