Apple’s Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, John Giannandrea, is set to leave the company this spring, marking the end of a turbulent period in Apple’s artificial intelligence leadership. Giannandrea, who joined Apple from Google seven years ago, oversaw the company’s AI and machine learning initiatives during a time when Apple lagged behind Silicon Valley competitors in the fast-moving generative AI revolution.
Apple confirmed that Giannandrea will exit following a transitional phase. His departure comes after the company’s delayed and widely criticized entry into generative AI — arriving nearly two years after OpenAI’s ChatGPT reshaped the global AI landscape. During his leadership, Apple’s much-promoted Apple Intelligence platform received lukewarm reception, and the company had to push back the release of the next-generation Siri AI assistant, highlighting internal challenges.
Instead of appointing a direct successor, Apple is restructuring its AI division. Teams previously reporting to Giannandrea will now be distributed across the company under Craig Federighi (Software Engineering), Sabih Khan (Operations), and Eddy Cue (Services). This shift signals Apple’s move toward a more integrated AI structure as it accelerates efforts to compete with leaders like OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and Microsoft.
In a strategic expansion of its AI capabilities, Apple has hired Amar Subramanya as the new Vice President of Artificial Intelligence. Reporting to Federighi, Subramanya will oversee Apple’s foundation models, machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation — key pillars of the company’s next-generation AI roadmap.
“AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy,” CEO Tim Cook said, welcoming Subramanya and emphasizing Apple’s renewed focus on advanced AI innovation and on-device intelligence.
Giannandrea’s departure marks a major turning point for Apple as it works to rebuild its standing in the global AI race, upgrade Siri’s capabilities, and prepare for upcoming next-gen AI features across iPhone, Mac, iPad, and the broader Apple ecosystem.
