Apple to Lose Top AI Exec as Siri Struggles Drag On, Says Report

Apple’s artificial intelligence group is bracing for another shake-up. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that Robby Walker—a long-time executive tied to the company’s AI strategy—is preparing to leave in the coming weeks.

Walker has worn several hats at Apple. He previously led the Siri team, but that role was reassigned to software chief Craig Federighi earlier this year after Apple pushed back promised improvements. More recently, he turned his attention to a new AI-driven search product that Apple hopes to roll out next year as a competitor to services like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

According to Bloomberg’s unnamed sources, Walker’s responsibilities had been reduced in recent months, though he continued to run Apple’s Answers, Information and Knowledge group. His exit adds to a broader wave of departures of senior search and AI staff, including Ruoming Pang and Frank Chu, who both jumped ship for Meta this year, taking teams of engineers with them.

Apple is still fighting skepticism over its AI approach, which is far behind the likes of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. In an internal meeting earlier this year, Walker admitted the company’s Siri setbacks were “embarrassing,” even as he defended the progress the team had made.