TL;DR
Apple’s AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving after seven years, replaced by Amar Subramanya, formerly of Microsoft and Google. The departure comes as Apple continues to lag competitors on generative AI features, with promised Siri upgrades repeatedly delayed.
Leadership Change Signals AI Strategy Shift
Apple has announced the departure of John Giannandrea, its head of artificial intelligence, marking a significant leadership change as the company works to accelerate its AI capabilities. CEO Tim Cook praised Giannandrea for “building and advancing our AI work” during his seven-year tenure, though Apple has notably struggled to match competitors’ pace in generative AI development.
The company debuted Apple Intelligence in June 2024 but has delivered features incrementally rather than transformatively. Real-time language translation in AirPods, for instance, arrived years after Google offered similar functionality. A major Siri overhaul, teased for more than a year, has been repeatedly postponed.
New Leadership Brings Competitor Experience
Amar Subramanya takes the helm with substantial credentials from Apple’s main rivals. As corporate vice-president of AI at Microsoft and head of engineering for Google’s Gemini AI Assistant—widely considered an industry leader—Subramanya brings deep expertise in the generative AI capabilities Apple needs to develop.
Significantly, Subramanya will report to Craig Federighi, Apple’s software engineering chief, who has assumed an expanded role in AI development. Federighi acknowledged that Siri improvements “needed more time to reach our high-quality bar,” with Cook promising a more personalised assistant next year.
Looking Forward
Apple’s announcement of a “new chapter” as it “strengthens its commitment” to AI suggests the company recognises the urgency of its position. For businesses dependent on Apple’s ecosystem, the leadership change may signal faster development of enterprise-relevant AI features—though the company’s track record suggests patience may still be required.
Source: The Guardian