Apple has announced a major shake-up within its AI team, confirming that its current AI chief, John Giannandrea, is retiring. At the same time, the company is bringing in a former Microsoft AI researcher.
In its press release, Apple stated that Giannandrea will step down and transition into an advisory role before officially retiring in the spring of 2026. Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018, has played “a key role in the company’s AI and machine learning (ML) strategy.” Before joining Apple, he served as Google’s Senior Vice President for Search.
His retirement, while significant, does not come entirely as a surprise. Apple has faced multiple setbacks in rolling out Apple Intelligence and a more advanced, personalised Siri – initiatives that were expected to be central pillars of the company’s AI roadmap, but have yet to come to fruition. Giannandrea’s planned departure coincides with the anticipated rollout of iOS 26.4, which will introduce the upgraded Siri.
