Sure, but they were there long enough to train and instill culture into the others. And of course, since the acquisition in 2008 they've had access to the top new grads and experienced engineers. If you're coming out top of your class at an Ivy or similar you're going to choose Apple over Intel or AMD both because of rep and the fact that your offer salary is much better.

P.S. hearsay and speculation, not direct experience. I haven't worked at Apple and anybody who has is pretty closed lip. You have to read between the lines.

P.P.S. It's sort of a circular argument. I say Apple has the best team because they have the best chip && they have the best chip because they have the best team.

But having worked (briefly) in the field, I'm very confident that their success is much more likely due to having the best team rather than anything else.