According to Engadget, Apple has hired Amar Subramanya, a former Google and Microsoft AI executive, as its new vice president of AI. Subramanya, who spent 16 years at Google and was most recently corporate VP of AI at Microsoft, will report to Craig Federighi. He will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and AI Safety. The company also announced that its current AI head, John Giannandrea, will retire in 2026. Giannandrea joined Apple in 2018 after a long stint at Google but has reportedly faced internal criticism over delays, including for a revamped Siri. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that Federighi has been instrumental in pushing the more personalized Siri, which is slated for release next year.
What this leadership shuffle really means
This isn’t just a routine hire. It’s a pretty clear course correction for Apple‘s AI ambitions. John Giannandrea was a huge get back in 2018, but the narrative has shifted. The fact that Bloomberg reported Tim Cook had “lost confidence” in his ability to execute on product development says it all. Siri’s stagnation, especially after the promise of a smarter, more personal version last year, has been a major black eye. So bringing in a fresh leader from outside, especially one with deep Gemini experience from Google, is Apple’s way of hitting the reset button.
Siri’s future is now Federighi’s show
Here’s the thing: the real story might be less about Subramanya and more about Craig Federighi’s expanding empire. Cook’s statement explicitly credits Federighi with driving the AI efforts and the new Siri. Giannandrea might have had the title, but it looks like the operational reins have been with Federighi for a while. This move solidifies that. Subramanya reporting directly to Federighi, not taking over Giannandrea’s old spot in a straight swap, signals a reorganization. AI is now firmly under the software engineering umbrella. That could mean a focus on tighter integration and faster shipping, which Apple desperately needs.
What users and developers should watch for
For users, the immediate hope is that this finally unblocks the smarter Siri we’ve been waiting for. A 2025 release for the “more personalized” assistant is now a public promise from Cook himself. Another delay would be catastrophic. For developers, the question is what “Apple Foundation Models” under Subramanya will actually deliver. Will they be more open, more powerful tools for building AI into apps? Or will they remain a walled garden, primarily for Apple’s own features? This hire suggests Apple is getting serious about the underlying tech, not just the features. The market impact is subtler but real. It shows Apple is willing to make tough personnel changes to compete in the AI era, something it’s been criticized for being too slow to do. It’s a necessary move, but the pressure to deliver a tangible AI product next year just went through the roof. You can read Apple’s official announcement about Giannandrea’s retirement plans here.
