Apple has faced criticism for its tight control of payments on its App Store
Apple has faced criticism for its tight control of payments on its App Store

Apple is offering up to $180,000 in stock bonuses to employees in a new effort to get them to stay with the company and prevent defections to rival companies like Meta.

The stock bonuses will range between $50,000 and $180,000 and will take four years to vet, Bloomberg reports.

The decision came following Meta hiring 100 former Apple employees in just a few months' time. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is looking to develop augmented and virtual reality and improve its artificial intelligence and software.

The New York Post reports that not all engineers are receiving the lucrative bonuses, though it is unclear why some are not eligible.

This is not the first time the company sent out bonuses to workers. All employees, including retail workers, received $1,000 bonuses in the beginning of December. It also is expected to eventually announce plans to have employees return to offices at least three days a week, though nothing has been confirmed.