Apple has announced a significant shift in its global artificial intelligence leadership, confirming that John Giannandrea, the company’s Senior Vice President for Machine Learning and AI Strategy, is stepping down.
According to the company in a statement via its website on Monday, Giannandrea will remain as an advisor before officially retiring in the spring of 2026, Okay News reports.
The tech giant simultaneously unveiled the appointment of Amar Subramanya, a respected AI researcher and former senior executive at Microsoft and Google, as Vice President of AI, reporting directly to Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.
Subramanya will oversee Apple Foundation Models, machine learning research, and AI safety and evaluation, marking one of the company’s most consequential AI leadership transitions in years.
Apple said the remaining functions under Giannandrea’s organization will now be redistributed between Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue to “align closer with similar organizations.”
Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018 after previously leading Google’s AI efforts, has been central to Apple’s long-term AI strategy. He built and supervised the teams behind Apple Foundation Models, Search and Knowledge, ML Research, and the company’s AI infrastructure.
Apple CEO Tim Cook paid tribute to Giannandrea’s work, saying: “We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users.”
Cook also welcomed Subramanya into Apple’s top ranks, noting: “AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple.”
Subramanya previously served as Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of AI and before that spent 16 years at Google, where he led engineering for the Gemini Assistant. Apple highlighted his deep technical background in both machine learning research and product integration, saying it will play a crucial role in the evolution of Apple Intelligence, including a more personalized Siri experience expected next year.
The restructuring solidifies Craig Federighi’s expanded oversight of Apple’s AI roadmap, with the company saying these leadership moves “will help Apple continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Apple added that this marks “an exciting new chapter” as the company accelerates its work on delivering intelligent, trusted, and profoundly personal AI experiences to users around the world.
