Apple's AI Chief John Giannandrea Departs This Week

[MacRumors]

John Giannandrea, Apple's former head of artificial intelligence, is set to leave the company this week as his final stock vesting date approaches.

In his "Power On" newsletter, Mark Gurman noted that Giannandrea's exit has been a prolonged one. Apple moved to dramatically reduce his role in March 2025 following the disappointing launch of Apple Intelligence and ongoing delays to the Siri overhaul, stripping him of oversight of Siri, robotics, and other AI teams at that time. The company made the departure official at the end of last year, announcing that Giannandrea would be retiring in 2026.

In the intervening months, Giannandrea has been in an advisory role, what Gurman described as "resting and vesting," meaning remaining on the payroll until stock grants vest. With Apple's next vesting date falling on April 15, Gurman says Giannandrea's final days at the company are this week. His remaining responsibilities, which covered Apple's foundation models, AI testing, and various other functions, were divided between software chief Craig Federighi, services head Eddy Cue, and operating chief Sabih Khan.

Giannandrea joined Apple from Google in 2018. Gurman says he is unlikely to join another major technology company and is instead expected to take seats on corporate boards and pursue startup advisory work.

Gurman offered a broader assessment of why Giannandrea's tenure failed to produce results, pushing back on the notion that Cook simply struggles with outside hires: "The truth is that the top of Apple is run like a small family business with few decision-makers. And if you're not in the inner circle — which is nearly impossible to crack — you're simply not empowered enough to drive real change at the company."

Article Link: Apple's AI Chief John Giannandrea Departs This Week

 

[tyranne201]

bye bye

 

[iPay]

he is unlikely to join another major technology company

You bet! "I was in charge of Apple AI during these Siri years" doesn't sell very well, whatever his merits.

 

[Wx_Man]

Siri still doesn’t know his name and had to “find it on the web” to know how to spell it.

 

[Mr_Ed]

Gurman offered a broader assessment of why Giannandrea's tenure failed to produce results, pushing back on the notion that Cook simply struggles with outside hires: "The truth is that the top of Apple is run like a small family business with few decision-makers. And if you're not in the inner circle — which is nearly impossible to crack — you're simply not empowered enough to drive real change at the company."

Throughout my career, I constantly reminded myself:

Responsibility - Authority = Scapegoat

 

[nt5672]

There is no way for the public to know if this failure was his doing or was it the leadership team's lack of vision and the corresponding lack of resources. After all the car project sucked everything else dry for nothing.

Innovation does not start with large undisclipined teams like the Apple car team. it was out of control from the start. Cook should have known that. Now Apple is behind on everything except new hardware, quality is tanking, etc.

 

[pakupakuman]

Throughout my career, I constantly reminded myself:

Responsibility - Authority = Scapegoat

A stark and brilliant reminder.

 

[pcd213]

So many millions of dollars spent on…what?

 

[StuBeck]

Wait, so its not Cooks fault because its run by a small business with few decision makers? Wouldn't that make them the primary decision maker and thus their responsibility? Or am I misreading this...as CEO I thought they were compensated to make decisions.

 

[CarAnalogy]

So Apple is basically a microcosm of the broader government and economy. Great.

The given explanation actually confirms that Cook not only struggles with outside hires, he struggles with almost all of his long time employees.

This explains a lot. Somehow Alan Dye cracked the inner circle and could therefore do no wrong. Meanwhile JG was described at the time as a major win to hire away from Google. But apparently wasn’t in the inner circle so it was all a waste.

 

[Pitogyro]

Who would want Giannandrea to “advise” them on anything? Beggars belief.

 

[MNJohn]

“Giannandrea joined Apple from Google in 2018. Gurman says he is unlikely to join another major technology company and is instead expected to take seats on corporate boards and pursue startup advisory work.”

The big question is who, and why, anyone would want to hire this slug.

 

[hanser]

Most family businesses I know of are run much more efficient and flexible than corporate structures. So for me it is a good thing if Apple is run that way, although it obviously has its drawbacks in a company this size. I hope they learned their lesson that it is better to groom your own specialists instead of poaching them from others together with all their baggage. That Giannandrea is not seeking employment, is no surprise, since I expect that he has now more money than he needs for the rest of his life, so early retirement is a sensible solution. I hope he has enough hobbies and interests to keep him occupied and sane.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Take Siri with you on the way out.

 

[I7guy]

“Giannandrea joined Apple from Google in 2018. Gurman says he is unlikely to join another major technology company and is instead expected to take seats on corporate boards and pursue startup advisory work.”

The big question is who, and why, anyone would want to hire this slug.

You would be surprised who might want him and for what reasons.

 

[BarrettF77]

Good riddance to him. Incompetent doesn’t begin to describe his co tribulations and why Apple allowed him to stay and vest is beyond dumb. Siri is the worst assistant and they still cannot make it work even with Google as the back end on iOS 26. So we wait again until next year’s iOS 27 deploys. Apple really has become a joke in what they advertise versus what they deliver.

 

[Robert.Walter]

If he sucked at his job, and missed targets, why should he still get stock?

That wouldn’t happen to lower level employees who botched something so important.

 

[JungleNYC]

Most family businesses I know of are run much more efficient and flexible than corporate structures. So for me it is a good thing if Apple is run that way, although it obviously has its drawbacks in a company this size. I hope they learned their lesson that it is better to groom your own specialists instead of poaching them from others together with all their baggage. That Giannandrea is not seeking employment, is no surprise, since I expect that he has now more money than he needs for the rest of his life, so early retirement is a sensible solution. I hope he has enough hobbies and interests to keep him occupied and sane.

Every company reaches a point of "bigness" where the negatives begin to outweigh the positives. Same thing happens in most systems. It's very tough for a public company to fight this inevitability.

 

[HouseLannister]

Quick: change the locks!

 

[macmac30]

With about 8 of these damn HomePods in my house, I could say so many things...but I will just say "WHo's speaking, that's not nice, and I won't respond to that."

 

[Lioness~]

Take Siri with you on the way out.

You never know - maybe this was his only way to get rid of the ### Siri - we will see what happens in that department from now on.

 

[God of Biscuits]

That last paragraph is a terrifically accurate take on working at Apple: under Steve it was a kingdom, not a business. Now it's an oligarchy.

 

[DaveTheRave]

You bet! "I was in charge of Apple AI during these Siri years" doesn't sell very well, whatever his merits.

To be fair Siri was a huge piece of **** years before he joined Apple.

 

[DaveTheRave]

If he sucked at his job, and missed targets, why should he still get stock?

That wouldn’t happen to lower level employees who botched something so important.

A contract is a contract. If specific performance metrics were not put into whatever he signed then Apple needs to honor it.

 

[DaveTheRave]

Good riddance to him. Incompetent doesn’t begin to describe his co tribulations and why Apple allowed him to stay and vest is beyond dumb. Siri is the worst assistant and they still cannot make it work even with Google as the back end on iOS 26. So we wait again until next year’s iOS 27 deploys. Apple really has become a joke in what they advertise versus what they deliver.

My guess is that if he wasn’t fired for fraud, sexual harassment, theft, etc then firing him otherwise would have made Apple pay out the rest of the contract all at once.