The former Segway executive and Mac hardware engineering VP will be Tesla's vice president of vehicle programs.
Apple's vice president of Mac hardware engineering, Doug Field, has left the company to join Tesla Motors.
Tesla announced the hire Thursday, saying Field would become the company's vice president of vehicle programs.
"Tesla's future depends on engineers who can create the most innovative, technologically advanced vehicles in the world," Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. "Doug's experience in both consumer electronics and traditional automotive makes him an important addition to our leadership team."
Apple declined to comment.
Before joining Apple, Field was Segway's chief technology officer. He left the company in mid-2008 after nearly a decade there. Earlier stints in the vehicle industry include six years as a development engineer at Ford.
This isn't Tesla's first hire from Apple's talent pool. Nearly four years ago, the company hired George Blankenship, Apple's former VP of real estate who also worked at Microsoft.
Tesla's stock is up $9.73, or around 5.9 percent, in afternoon trading, hitting $174.19 a share.
Updated at 12:07 p.m. PT: to add stock price and note no comment from Apple.