Apple announced this Monday, December 1, 2025, the retirement of John Giannandrea, its senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, who will serve as a consultant until spring 2026. The move comes at Cupertino, Califórnia, following a series of delays in artificial intelligence developments, especially the update of the virtual assistant Siri. CEO Tim Cook highlighted Giannandrea’s role in building the AI team since 2018, but the company seeks acceleration amid criticism over the pace of innovation.
Giannandrea, who joined Apple from Google, oversaw advances in machine learning, but faced obstacles with the launch of Apple Intelligence, announced at WWDC 2024. The new Siri, promised with more personalized capabilities, was delayed until 2026, impacting investor and user confidence.
To lead the transition, Apple named Amar Subramanya as Vice President of AI, reporting directly to Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. Subramanya, with experience in Google and Microsoft, assumes responsibilities in fundamental AI models, machine learning research and security assessment.
The restructuring redistributes teams under Giannandrea to other executives, such as Sabih Khan, director of operations, and Eddy Cue, head of services, aiming for greater internal alignment.
Trajectory from John Giannandrea to Apple
John Giannandrea assumed leadership of AI at Apple in April 2018, bringing expertise from his time as head of AI at
Under his management, the company integrated machine learning technologies into products such as the iPhone and the Apple Watch, focusing on privacy and on-device processing. However, the accelerated pace of competition, with advances in generative models, exposed limitations in Apple’s strategy.
Giannandrea led the initial development of Apple Intelligence, but delays in features like personal context awareness led to talent departures from the team.
Profile of Amar Subramanya, the new person responsible for AI
Amar Subramanya arrives at
His education includes a PhD in computer science from University of Washington, with an emphasis on natural language processing and large-scale systems.
Subramanya graduated in electrical engineering from Bangalore University, Índia, and began his career at IBM in 2001.
Delays in Siri and impacts on Apple strategy
The Apple Intelligence was revealed in June 2024, with promises of a more intuitive Siri integrated into the iPhone 16. Recursos like voice navigation and app integration were highlighted, but internal tests revealed technical flaws.
In March 2025, the company confirmed the postponement to the first half of 2026, citing the need for refinements in security and precision. Isso resulted in a 0.8% drop in Apple shares in after-hours trading, reflecting analyst concerns.
The transition to Subramanya aims to prioritize the integration of AI into personalized experiences, with a focus on reliability.
Restructuring of AI teams
AI infrastructure teams move to Sabih Khan, who took over as COO in early 2025, succeeding Jeff Williams.
Eddy Cue, responsible for services such as Apple Music and iCloud, inherits search and knowledge groups, promoting synergies with existing products.
Craig Federighi expands his scope by directly overseeing advances in AI, including the custom Siri scheduled for 2026.
This division seeks efficiency, aligning AI with Apple operations and services.
Subramanya’s past experiences in the AI sector
Subramanya contributed to the development of Gemini into Google, dealing with engineering multimodal models that process text, image and video.
At Microsoft, he focused on foundation models for Copilot, emphasizing scalability and ethics in AI.
His work at DeepMind has included research published at conferences such as NeurIPS, addressing deep learning optimization.
These contributions position Subramanya to drive innovations at Apple, such as more efficient on-device models.
Tim Cook’s statements about the transition
Tim Cook emphasized that AI remains central to Apple’s strategy, thanking Giannandrea for advances that have benefited millions of users.
The CEO highlighted the expectation of collaboration with Subramanya, predicting acceleration in AI capabilities.
Cook also praised Federighi for his role in driving projects forward, including overseeing the enhanced Siri.
Main areas under the responsibility of Subramanya
Subramanya will lead Apple Foundation Models, the foundation for content generation and data analysis.
Research in machine learning will encompass algorithms for detecting patterns in real time.
AI security and assessment will include testing for bias and privacy, aligned with Apple policies.
Other teams, like search, will integrate AI for more contextual responses in apps like Safari.
- Fundamental models: Desenvolvimento foundations for generative AI in the Apple ecosystem.
- ML research: Exploração of techniques for efficient processing on mobile hardware.
- Security assessment: Protocolos to mitigate risks in AI deployments.
- Product integration: Aplicação into services such as Health and Fitness.
Rumors of partnerships to accelerate Siri
Speculations indicate negotiations with Google to incorporate elements from Gemini into Siri, aiming for launch in 2026.
Apple explores integrations with Anthropic and OpenAI to complement internal capabilities.
These partnerships can provide advanced models as the company refines its proprietary technologies.
The focus remains on privacy, with local processing prioritized over the cloud.
Historical context of advances in AI at Apple
Since 2017, Apple has invested in neural chips for on-device AI, such as the Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic.
Giannandrea expanded this with startup acquisitions and specialist hires.
WWDC 2024 marked the pivot to generative AI, but initial adoption fell short of expectations for 30% of eligible users.
Subramanya inherits a legacy of discreet integration, contrasting with more aggressive approaches by rivals.
Initial reactions in the technology market
Analysts see the move as a sign of urgency, with Apple trailing Google and Microsoft in AI benchmarks.
Investors are monitoring the impact on shares, which recovered ground after the initial announcement.
Experts predict that Subramanya will speed up deliveries, boosting iOS 19.4 in 2026.
The transition reinforces Apple’s commitment to ethical, user-centric AI.