Apple is reorganizing its executive team due to difficulties in launching advanced AI functionalities for Siri. According to Bloomberg, CEO Tim Cook “has lost faith in AI leader John Giannandrea’s ability to deliver on product development.”
Consequently, Mike Rockwell, who is currently the vice president of the Vision Products Group and the architect behind Apple Vision Pro, will lead the Siri team.
Giannandrea will remain with Apple but will no longer oversee Siri, instead focusing on research, testing, and other AI technologies. Rockwell will report to Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi. The report indicates that Giannandrea “has long viewed Rockwell as a possible successor.”
Additionally, another “senior manager” from Rockwell’s team, Aimee Nugent, is being transitioned to the Siri group:
Recently, Apple has begun to move over another senior manager from Rockwell’s team — Aimee Nugent — to the Siri group. She shares a reputation for turning around challenging projects. These changes have given two of Rockwell’s trusted executives a chance to assess the organization before he takes a more active role.
Internally, Rockwell has openly critiqued Siri, according to sources familiar with the situation. For years, he has presented senior vice presidents with proposals to revamp the voice assistant to enhance personalization. In the last few weeks, he has also been supporting the AI group.
With Rockwell joining the Siri team, Paul Meade will step up to lead the Apple Vision Pro team. Meade has previously directed hardware engineering for Vision Pro and served under Rockwell.
Read the complete report at Bloomberg.
