Prime Highlights
- John Giannandrea, Apple’s head of AI since 2018, will step down and retire next spring, continuing as an advisor until then.
- Amar Subramanya, formerly at Microsoft and Google DeepMind, will succeed him as vice president of AI, reporting to Craig Federighi.
Key Facts
- Subramanya will lead Apple’s work on foundation models, AI research, and safety, while other teams move under Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue.
- The leadership change comes as Apple ramps up AI investments, partners with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT, and focuses on on-device AI processing over cloud systems.
Background
Apple announced a major leadership change in its artificial intelligence division as John Giannandrea, the company’s head of AI, will step down from his role and retire next spring. Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018 and served as senior vice president reporting to CEO Tim Cook, will continue as an advisor until his retirement.
He will be replaced by Amar Subramanya, an experienced AI researcher who previously worked at Microsoft and was part of Google’s DeepMind team. Apple confirmed that Subramanya will become the company’s vice president of AI and will report to Craig Federighi, Apple’s software chief.
The reshuffle comes at a time when industry experts say Apple has fallen behind other major tech companies in the fast-growing AI race. Apple introduced Apple Intelligence in 2024 to compete with leaders like OpenAI and Google.
Cook said Federighi has already played a key role in strengthening Apple’s AI strategy. Subramanya will lead work on foundation models, AI research, and safety. Other teams previously under Giannandrea will shift to Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan and services head Eddy Cue.
Although Apple shares rose 16% in 2025. Apple continues to focus on running most AI tasks directly on its devices rather than in large cloud systems.
Apple has recently increased its AI spending and struck a deal with OpenAI to bring ChatGPT to products such as Siri. The shift comes as AI-driven hardware is on the horizon, with former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman developing new devices expected to debut within two years.
