Apple is currently experiencing a significant restructuring within its executive team, with the objective of revitalizing its artificial intelligence initiatives after enduring several months of setbacks, according to sources familiar with the matter.
CEO Tim Cook has expressed doubts regarding the effectiveness of AI lead John Giannandrea in overseeing product development. Consequently, Mike Rockwell, known for his role in creating the Vision Pro, will take on new responsibilities overseeing the Siri virtual assistant. Sources have requested anonymity as these changes have yet to be formally announced.
Rockwell will now report directly to Craig Federighi, Apple’s software chief, which means Siri will no longer fall under Giannandrea’s jurisdiction. The company communicated these changes to its employees on Thursday, following an initial report by Bloomberg News.
During a recent confidential annual offsite meeting of Apple’s senior leadership team, known as the Top 100, the topic of AI strategy was a focal point. The urgency surrounding AI advancements was highlighted during the discussions recounted by Bloomberg.
This executive reshuffling highlights ongoing challenges for Apple, as its AI capabilities currently lag behind those of competitors, with the company showing minimal progress toward making up the gap. The Apple Intelligence platform has been notably late to the market.
Currently, Rockwell serves as the vice president of the Vision Products Group (VPG), overseeing the development of Apple’s headset technology. With these new changes, Rockwell will depart from his current team; however, the teams responsible for Vision Pro software will transition to Federighi’s software engineering group. The hardware division will continue under the leadership of John Ternus, reporting to hardware executive Paul Meade, who contributed to the Vision Pro project.
An Apple spokesperson based in Cupertino declined to comment on the ongoing transitions.
The need for Siri to modernize has become increasingly pressing. The company has faced challenges in launching new features that were promised last June, particularly functions that utilize user data for enhanced responses. Although these enhancements were repeatedly advertised in marketing campaigns for the iPhone 16, the underlying technology remains incomplete, resulting in further delays announced earlier this month.
During a recent team meeting, Robby Walker, the Apple manager leading Siri until now, conveyed his concern over the delays, describing them as “ugly.” He acknowledged that staff members might be feeling frustrated and uncertain about the timeline for new features due to competing development demands. Apple has stated publicly that these new capabilities are expected to roll out within the coming year.
Apple’s stock has seen a decline of 15% this year, reflecting a broader downturn in tech equities. On Thursday, shares fell slightly to $214.10 (approximately Rs. 18,412 crore) in New York.
By appointing Rockwell, Apple is placing its trust in an executive with a strong technical background. He has a proven track record of bringing new products to market and managing large engineering teams. Rockwell is recognized for his problem-solving skills and often advocates for innovative technologies.
While Rockwell has played a pivotal role in developing the Vision Pro—a device that is technically impressive yet has struggled commercially—his move away from it occurs at a time when its future direction remains uncertain.
Over the past decade, Rockwell has distinguished himself as one of the few Apple executives capable of guiding a major hardware product from conception to market launch. He joined Apple’s hardware engineering division in 2015, and the Vision Pro was officially released in February of last year.
In contrast, Giannandrea’s background is rooted in his tenure at Google, where he was a prominent figure overseeing the search and AI sectors before joining Apple in 2018. While Giannandrea brought significant experience to the role, he lacks the same hardware-focused background that Rockwell possesses.
Apple has been progressively categorizing its Vision Pro and VPG projects as “AI products” internally. Rockwell’s hardware expertise could further integrate AI functionality into future devices, aligning with Apple’s ongoing initiatives, including the development of AirPods with cameras that could provide data for AI applications.
Siri has experienced a series of managerial changes over the years. Launched in 2011 under software executive Scott Forstall, the assistant later passed through the hands of services chief Eddy Cue and current software head Federighi in 2017, before Giannandrea took over about a year later. Now, Rockwell’s leadership will reinstate oversight under Federighi once more.
Giannandrea will remain with Apple despite Rockwell’s appointment to oversee Siri. An abrupt departure could signal unsettling news regarding the state of the AI efforts—a narrative Apple seems reluctant to promote. Giannandrea will also continue to manage responsibilities related to AI research, testing, and related technologies, including a team exploring robotics.
Federighi, as the senior vice president of software engineering, manages the development of key Apple operating systems and serves alongside Giannandrea in the evolution of Apple Intelligence. Currently, he is also focused on a comprehensive redesign of Apple’s software ecosystem.
Prior to Giannandrea’s arrival, Siri faced engineering and quality challenges. Although he struggled to turn around the voice assistant, Giannandrea successfully attracted top AI researchers, establishing a unified AI division within Apple that integrates research from across the organization.
The management shift regarding AI has been in progress for months and precedes the recent delays communicated by the company. In the previous year, Apple appointed Kim Vorrath, a deputy of Rockwell, to assist the Siri team. Known for restoring order in faltering development initiatives, she was officially transferred to the AI group in January to support program management, but will now also transition to Federighi’s division.
In recent days, another senior manager from Rockwell’s team, Aimee Nugent, has been reassigned to the Siri team. She, like Vorrath, has built a reputation for reviving challenging projects, allowing two of Rockwell’s trusted associates to assess the organization before his deeper involvement.
Rockwell has been candid about his critiques of Siri to Apple’s senior leadership, consistently presenting ideas for transforming the voice assistant to offer a more personalized experience. In recent weeks, he has also been advising the AI division. Even prior to these management shifts, Giannandrea viewed Rockwell as a capable potential successor.
In developing the Vision Pro, Rockwell envisioned Siri as a key control method for the expensive device. However, its current role is limited as the company emphasizes hand-and-eye controls instead.
Rockwell has gained further insight into the AI team over recent months as the company has worked to enhance Apple Intelligence for the Vision Pro, with these features expected to debut in April 2025 as part of a visionOS software update.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
