If I may speculate wildly: * France (and other French speaking countries) produce well qualified engineers. * As others have pointed out, France can be percei

If I may speculate wildly: * France (and other French speaking countries) produce well qualified engineers. * As others have pointed out, France can be perceived as a rather inhospitable place for entrepreneurial people. * On the other hand, Apple may be a little bit more aligned with French values than other Silicon Valley companies: Pride of auteurship, opinionated design, and occasional stubbornness in the face of customer complaints. I think a French engineer will recognize a certain je ne sais quoi in "you're holding it wrong" ;-)