- Apple ML and AI Strategy SVP John Giannandrea will retire in spring 2026
- Amar Subramanya appointed as replacement to lead revamped Siri with Craig Federighi
- Subramanya spent six months as Microsoft’s AI CVP and nearly six years working on Gemini/Bard for Google
Apple has announced that SVP of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea will step down after nearly eight years in the post.
Giannandrea will remain as an advisor until spring 2026, when he will be replaced by Amar Subramanya, who will become the company’s AI VP, reporting to Craig Federighi.
With the change, Subramanya will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research and AI Safety & Evaluation.
Apple’s AI/ML VP to retire in 2026
Apple credited Giannandrea for building a “world-class team” and developing and implementing “critical AI technologies.”
It’s unconfirmed whether the change comes in response to industry pressure, but Apple has certainly received its fair share of criticism for lagging behind the competition when it comes to AI.
Part of Apple’s slow movement comes down to its preference for on-device processing over cloud-based systems. Private Cloud Compute bridges that gap, but the Cupertino giant has also struck a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into Siri. Rumors of a similar deal with Google have also circulated on the Internet in recent weeks.
Federighi has already played a big role in Apple’s evolving AI strategy, including work on a more personalized Siri, although that has already been delayed to 2026.
Subramanya joins with a wealth of experience, which comes from an AI VP role at Microsoft and 16 years at Google, where he also led AI products like Gemini.
“AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple,” said CEO Tim Cook.
Apple says the changes will help it “continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.” Apple shares rose about 1.6% after the announcement.
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