Color Labs engineer reportedly changes work status to Apple

An iOS engineer at Color Labs has reportedly updated this Twitter profile to indicate that he now works for Apple, supporting reports that Apple is "acqui-hiring" the small app maker's staff.

Eric Cheng, who snagged a job at the video-sharing app maker this spring, recently changed his Twitter profile information to include "work in Apple, live in California," according to a Wired report. Cheng's Twitter account (as well as his LinkedIn profile) had listed his profession as an iOS Color Labs engineer as recently as last month. However, that update apparently did not sit well with everyone, as his account has been disabled.

After initial reports that the troubled app maker was shutting down, it was reported that Apple was acquiring the Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup for a price described as being in the "high double digits."

It was suggested that Apple would be interested in some of the company's patents, which might tie in, and perhaps extend, the company's media-sharing tools. But apparently Apple is more interested in Color's employees, reportedly snapping up about 20 engineers who will work on cloud-based projects for Apple, while the remainder of Color is "wound down."

CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.