In a significant shake-up, Apple has announced that John Giannandrea — its senior vice-president for Machine Learning and AI Strategy — will step down from his current role and retire in spring 2026. Until then, he will remain with the company in an advisory capacity.
His departure comes at a time when Apple has struggled to keep pace with rivals in integrating generative AI features into its products — particularly its voice assistant Siri. Despite the launch of the “Apple Intelligence” suite in June 2024, the company’s progress has been slow and modest. Work such as real-time translation in AirPods and AI-generated voice features in fitness apps mark only limited advances; by contrast, competitors had rolled out such capabilities much earlier.
The ambitious overhaul of Siri has repeatedly been delayed, as Apple continues to strive for a level of quality it deems acceptable. A more advanced, AI-powered version of Siri — long anticipated — has yet to materialize, prompting criticism that Apple is falling behind other tech giants in the AI race.
To lead the next phase of its AI strategy, Apple has tapped Amar Subramanya — a veteran AI researcher recently with Microsoft, and formerly at Google, where he headed engineering for the Gemini AI Assistant. Subramanya will become vice-president of AI and will report to Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice-president of Software Engineering.
Under the reorganization, Subramanya will lead key functions including “Apple Foundation Models,” machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation. Meanwhile, other parts of Giannandrea’s former organisation — such as AI infrastructure and search/knowledge teams — will be reassigned to executives Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, in announcing the change, praised Giannandrea’s “seven-year tenure,” saying he played an important role in building the company’s AI capabilities and advancing its long-term vision. At the same time, Cook welcomed Subramanya’s arrival and described the leadership change as the opening of a “new chapter” in Apple’s AI ambitions.
With this reshuffle, Apple appears to be acknowledging that its previous strategy — including cautious emphasis on on-device AI processing for privacy — may have slowed its ability to compete with rivals heavily invested in massive cloud-based AI infrastructure. Observers suggest that with Subramanya at the helm, the company may accelerate delivery of more advanced, generative-AI driven features across its ecosystem, potentially restoring Apple’s competitive edge in the evolving AI landscape.
