Apple shakes up Siri leadership as promised AI features face delays

Apple’s leadership shakeup for Siri development signals a strategic pivot as the tech giant struggles to deliver on its Apple Intelligence promises. Mike Rockwell, who previously led the Vision Pro headset development, is taking over Siri’s transformation from John Giannandrea, following what appears to be CEO Tim Cook’s loss of confidence in the AI head’s execution capabilities. This executive reshuffling comes at a critical juncture for Apple, which has fallen behind competitors in the AI assistant space despite heavily marketing its iPhone 16 Pro as the optimal device for Apple Intelligence features that have yet to materialize.

The big picture: Apple CEO Tim Cook has reassigned Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to lead Siri’s development, replacing AI head John Giannandrea in a significant leadership shakeup.

• Rockwell will report directly to software chief Craig Federighi while Giannandrea will shift focus to other AI projects within the company.
• The decision was reportedly made during Apple’s Top 100 executive meeting and is expected to be formally announced to employees later this week.

Why this matters: Apple’s once-pioneering voice assistant has fallen significantly behind competitors, and the company has struggled to deliver on its Apple Intelligence promises announced at WWDC 2024.

• Nearly seven months after launching the iPhone 16 Pro as the ideal device for Apple Intelligence, customers have yet to experience the advertised AI capabilities.
• This leadership change suggests Apple recognizes the need for a new approach to revitalize Siri amidst growing customer disappointment.

The timing: This executive reshuffle comes at a crucial moment as Apple attempts to regain its innovative edge in the increasingly competitive AI assistant market.

• Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports the decision follows Apple Intelligence being a major focus at the company’s off-site Top 100 executive meeting.
• The change follows mounting public pressure as Apple’s Siri delays have become what some view as a “public disaster” for the company.

Reading between the lines: Rockwell’s appointment suggests Apple is applying Vision Pro’s innovative approach to reimagine Siri, despite the mixed reality headset’s limited commercial success.

• While Vision Pro hasn’t dominated sales charts, it demonstrated Apple’s technological capabilities and willingness to push boundaries.
• Tim Cook appears to be betting that Rockwell’s ability to deliver complex technical innovations will translate to successfully implementing the context-aware Siri that Apple promised nearly a year ago.

What they’re saying: At WWDC 2024, Giannandrea described a vision for Siri that has yet to materialize in the hands of consumers.

• “Siri with Apple Intelligence has a rich understanding of what’s on your device,” Giannandrea claimed, adding that the assistant’s knowledge base would “only get richer over time.”
• Nearly a year later, current Siri functionality falls far short of these promises, unable to perform even basic tasks like identifying the current month.