Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman revealed in the latest issue of "Power On" that John Giannandrea, former head of AI at Apple, will officially end his "leave of absence" this week, marking the final stage of his departure. This personnel change had been evident since March 2025, when Apple significantly reduced his AI-related responsibilities, and his exit was widely seen as inevitable.
Gurman pointed out that the core background of this adjustment lies in Apple's AI business not meeting expectations. Specifically, Apple Intelligence did not meet its goals, the upgraded Siri faced multiple delays, and the company lagged behind in the wave of generative AI. In this round of restructuring, Apple has revoked Giannandrea's management authority over Siri, robotics, and several AI teams, effectively reducing his core position within the company's AI system.
According to previous arrangements, Apple confirmed in December 2025 that Giannandrea would retire in 2026, and his remaining responsibilities were restructured: key tasks such as foundational models and AI testing were transferred to Craig Federighi, head of software, Eddie Cue, head of services, and Sabih Khan, head of operations, forming a more decentralized AI governance structure.
According to insiders, since his responsibilities were stripped away, Giannandrea has been in a "consultant" status for a long time, similar to common transitional arrangements in the tech industry, where an individual retains their official position while waiting for stock options to vest. According to reports, Apple's next stock vesting date is April 15, which means his actual tenure at the company will officially end this week.
This high-level adjustment reflects a phased correction in Apple's AI strategy: against the backdrop of intensified competition in generative AI, the company is accelerating resource reallocation and technological advancement through organizational restructuring. However, whether the dispersion of management power can improve execution efficiency remains to be verified by subsequent product performance and market results.
