Apple’s senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, John Giannandrea, is set to leave the company next spring, marking the end of a challenging chapter for Apple’s artificial intelligence ambitions. His departure follows years of internal friction, delayed product rollouts, and a slow response to the generative AI boom.
A Rocky Tenure Marked by Delays and Lagging Innovation
Giannandrea, who joined Apple from Google seven years ago, was tasked with modernizing the company’s AI efforts, especially Siri and core machine learning systems. However, under his leadership, Apple faced setbacks:
- The tech giant arrived two years late to the generative AI race after OpenAI’s ChatGPT gained mainstream dominance.
- The newly launched Apple Intelligence suite received lukewarm industry reception, with many calling it underwhelming compared to offerings from Google and Microsoft.
- A major overhaul of Siri, expected in spring 2025, was pushed back, creating more pressure on Apple’s AI roadmap.
The AI team also suffered a wave of resignations, with nearly a dozen engineers including model team founder Ruoming Pang leaving for Meta’s expanding superintelligence division.
Apple Restructures AI Division Instead of Replacing Giannandrea
Instead of appointing a direct successor, Apple is splitting the AI organisation across several leadership groups:
- Craig Federighi – Overseeing software and Apple foundation models
- Sabih Khan – Managing operational integration
- Eddy Cue – Handling AI within services
Apple also confirmed the hiring of veteran AI researcher Amar Subramanya as the new vice president of artificial intelligence. Reporting to Federighi, Subramanya will lead Apple’s foundation models, ML research, and AI safety, all areas previously under Giannandrea’s control.
CEO Tim Cook praised the appointment, emphasising that “AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy” and reiterating confidence in the company’s refreshed leadership structure.
Internal Tensions Over Apple’s AI Direction
Bloomberg previously reported mounting uncertainties within Apple’s AI team, particularly after the company began exploring partnerships with Google to integrate external generative AI technologies. This sparked concerns about whether Apple planned to scale back its internal AI innovation efforts.
With Siri’s updated version now rescheduled for a spring 2026 debut, Apple aims to regain momentum and strengthen its competitive stance against rivals aggressively pushing next-generation AI.