John Giannandrea to retire as Amar Subramanya joins Apple AI leadership

CUPERTINO: Apple is entering a new chapter in its AI journey as John Giannandrea, senior vice president for machine learning and AI strategy, announces he will step down and serve as an advisor before retiring in spring 2026.

In a major leadership move, Apple has appointed renowned AI expert Amar Subramanya as vice president of AI, reporting to Craig Federighi. Subramanya will oversee Apple Foundation Models, machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation, bringing his extensive experience from Microsoft, where he served as corporate VP of AI, and Google, where he led engineering for the Gemini Assistant.

Since joining Apple in 2018, Giannandrea has been pivotal in shaping the company’s AI strategy, building a world-class team and driving innovations in Apple Foundation Models, Search and Knowledge, ML research, and AI infrastructure. With his retirement, the balance of his organisation will shift to Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue to streamline operations and align teams more closely.

Apple CEO Tim Cook praised Giannandrea for his contributions, “John played a key role in advancing our AI work, helping Apple innovate and enrich the lives of our users. AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are thrilled to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team to bring his extraordinary expertise to Apple.”

Subramanya’s arrival signals Apple’s ambition to accelerate its AI capabilities, particularly in personalising Siri and other Apple Intelligence features. With Giannandrea’s legacy as a foundation, Federighi’s expanded oversight, and Subramanya’s deep technical know-how, Apple aims to continue delivering intelligent, trusted, and deeply personal experiences for users worldwide.

This leadership shuffle marks an exciting moment for Apple as it positions itself at the forefront of AI innovation while maintaining its commitment to privacy, trust, and user-centric design.