In just a few days, Apple overhauled its AI and design leadership, signaling the company is trying to find solutions after a series of AI product delays and mixed market responses.
The departures involve two of the company’s most critical figures in machine learning and interface design and will reshape the teams responsible for Apple’s future.
To understand what these moves mean for the tech giant’s AI roadmap, I talked with SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer on Episode 184 of The Artificial Intelligence Show.
Changes in the C-Suite
The first executive to fall was John Giannandrea, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Machine Learning and AI Strategy.
Giannandrea is stepping down from his role following internal struggles to modernize Siri and delays in rolling out Apple Intelligence features, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Verge. He will remain an advisor until his retirement in 2026.
Replacing him is Amar Subramanya, a former vice president of AI at Microsoft and a longtime Google researcher. Subramanya will report to software chief Craig Federighi, tasked with overseeing foundation models and getting Apple’s AI infrastructure back on track.
In another shakeup move, Alan Dye, the head of user interface design, is leaving the company to join Meta. Dye, who oversaw the interface for the iPhone X and the Vision Pro, has been hired by Meta to lead a new studio focused on AI-equipped hardware.
"Siri Sucks" and Other Stumbles
For long-time Apple watchers, these exits might feel sudden. But Roetzer argues they are the result of a compounding series of missed opportunities and product stumbles.
“There’s just a lot going on there,” says Roetzer. “Vision Pro, they made a big bet on it and it didn’t work. They spent $10 billion on cars for a decade. Didn’t work. Siri sucks.”
The harsh reality is that Apple’s recent track record on AI innovation has been spotty. The car project was scrapped, the Vision Pro headset hasn't seen widespread adoption, and Siri has lagged woefully behind competitor products, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini.
“It’s bad, and it’s obvious to everyone,” Roetzer says. “They just haven’t figured it out, so part of this is they need a shakeup.”
The Market Seems Unfazed
Despite the changes, Wall Street hasn't soured on Apple. Its stock dipped only slightly following the news, suggesting that investors might actually view the leadership changes as necessary rather than a sign of doom.
“I would expect Apple to have been punished more by their inability to figure out AI,” says Roetzer. “So I think there’s probably some investors who would be excited by the idea that there’s going to be a shakeup and maybe they’re going to figure this out.”
Roetzer notes that Apple remains an incredibly stable company with deep pockets. The prevailing sentiment is that once they do solve the AI puzzle, the rewards will be massive.
"I feel like if they do, and they do it in an elegant way, and they do it in a very aggressive way, they could benefit," he says.
The Battle for the Next Interface
The departure of Dye to Meta highlights a critical new battleground: the future of hardware interfaces.
We are moving toward a world where AI isn’t just a chatbot on a screen, but an integrated layer of reality accessed through glasses or other wearables. Meta is aggressively pursuing this future with its Reality Labs division, and poaching Apple’s top talent is a major coup.
Roetzer believes this is where the fiercest competition will play out.
“The future is going to be vision-based,’’ he says. “It’s going to be some form of glasses or what they tried to do with Vision Pro.
“Everybody’s trying to hoover-up the talent that can make the breakthroughs or lead to the productization of the next user interfaces. And so it’s just going to be wildly competitive between OpenAI and Meta and Google and Apple.”
Can Apple Gain Ground with These Changes?
Apple is in the rare position of playing catch-up.
By bringing in fresh leadership from rivals Microsoft and Google, the company is attempting to accelerate its AI capabilities before it loses too much ground. It’s a race to define the post-smartphone era.
For now, all eyes are on Apple to see if new leadership can finally fix Siri and deliver the AI innovation investors and users expect.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.