They were very clearly poached. They were chosen for their specific knowledge of a product Apple wanted to make and Apple (being one of the wealthiest companies in Silicon Valley and ever) was able to throw out whatever number to get what they wanted. They even put them in an office near their old job.
This isn't a case of "they went looking for a better job". Have you done zero reading on this story?
"anti-poaching" is how big tech companies described their anti-competitive agreements [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Tech_Employee_Antitrust_L...