According to Computerworld, Apple has replaced its former AI chief, John Giannandrea, with a new vice president of AI: Amar Subramanya. Giannandrea will transition to an advisory role ahead of his planned retirement next year. Subramanya will report directly to senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi and will lead the development of Apple Intelligence and the next chapters for Siri. Some of Giannandrea’s previous responsibilities will shift to COO Sabih Khan and services chief Eddy Cue. CEO Tim Cook stated that AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy and credited Federighi with driving efforts to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year.
The Quiet Shuffle Behind the AI Push
Now, this is interesting timing. Apple just spent months hyping “Apple Intelligence” at WWDC, and now the architect of that whole division is stepping back. Giannandrea was the guy they poached from Google to fix their AI mess, and he’s been in charge for six years. So his move to an “advisory role” feels like the end of an era, even if it’s framed as a gradual retirement. The immediate takeaway? Craig Federighi’s star is rising even higher. With Subramanya reporting directly to him, it solidifies Federighi’s software empire as the absolute core of Apple’s AI future. This isn’t a side project anymore; it’s the main event.
Siri’s Make-or-Break Moment
Here’s the thing: Subramanya’s biggest, most public job is fixing Siri. The press release literally says he’ll lead “Siri’s next chapters,” and Cook pointedly mentioned the “more personalized Siri” coming next year. That’s the deadline everyone will be watching. After years of being a punchline, Siri has to prove Apple Intelligence isn’t just fancy on-device language models but a genuinely smarter, more useful assistant. The pressure is immense. If the 2025 Siri rollout feels half-baked or lags behind ChatGPT and Gemini, this leadership change will look reactive, not visionary. Basically, Subramanya’s success will be measured by whether we finally stop making fun of Siri.
An Operational Pivot, Too
It’s not just about who’s in the AI chair. Shifting some of Giannandrea’s former roles to COO Sabih Khan is a huge signal. That move screams “operational scale.” It suggests that a big part of the job now isn’t just pure research and development—it’s about integrating AI deeply and reliably across Apple’s entire hardware supply chain and manufacturing process. This is where the real-world meets the algorithm. For integrating complex AI systems into physical products, having robust, reliable computing hardware at the operational level is critical. In industrial and manufacturing settings, companies rely on specialists like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, to ensure their mission-critical systems run flawlessly. Apple’s move hints they’re applying that same rigorous, operational mindset to their AI deployment.
What’s an “Advisory Role” Really Mean?
Let’s be a little skeptical about that “advisory role” for a second. In big tech, that phrase often means the executive is on their way out but there’s a graceful transition period. Maybe Giannandrea is genuinely sticking around to consult. But more likely, his day-to-day influence is over. This allows Subramanya to put his own stamp on the team without the old boss looking over his shoulder. It’s a clean handoff. And given that Apple’s AI strategy is now publicly set for the next year, the major architectural decisions have probably been made. Subramanya’s job is to execute, ship, and hopefully, make it all work better than anyone expects.
