Apple’s AI Boss Is Retiring and a Former Microsoft Exec Is Taking Over

John Giannandrea, Apple’s longtime AI lead, is retiring in 2026. The company says he’ll stay on briefly as an advisor before stepping away next spring.

Giannandrea has been running Apple’s machine learning and AI strategy since he joined in 2018. His teams handled major areas like Apple’s foundation models, search, ML research, and AI infrastructure. With his departure, parts of his organization will move under Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue.

Apple is also bringing in a new senior leader: Amar Subramanya, a well-known AI researcher who previously worked at Microsoft and spent 16 years at Google. He’s joining as vice president of AI and will report to Craig Federighi. Subramanya will be responsible for core areas like foundation models, ML research, and AI safety.

“We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users,” said Apple CEO Cook in a statement. He added that Apple is “pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team.”

Subramanya’s arrival gives Federighi broader oversight of Apple’s AI plans, including work on a more personalized Siri expected next year.

Giannandrea has spent nearly two decades leading major teams in AI and engineering. Before joining Apple in 2018 as the senior vice president overseeing machine learning and AI strategy, he spent almost eight years at Google as an SVP of Engineering and previously served as CTO of Metaweb Technologies. Alongside his industry roles, he has also been a longtime member of the SETI Institute’s Board of Trustees, and served on the board at Castilleja School for more than seven years.

Apple now enters a transition period as it reshapes who leads its AI strategy, at a time when the company is trying to speed up development of its next wave of AI features, specifically a smarter Siri that everyone has long been waiting for.