Apple shakes up AI leadership: Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to take charge of Siri

In a bid to combat delays and missteps in its AI strategy, Apple Inc. is undergoing a major internal shake-up. CEO Tim Cook, reportedly frustrated with slow progress, has lost confidence in AI chief John Giannandrea’s ability to drive product development. In response, Cook is bringing in Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell to lead Siri, according to a Bloomberg report. While Apple has yet to officially announce the restructuring, employees are expected to be informed this week.

Apple’s latest leadership changes follow its annual Top 100 offsite meeting, where senior executives discussed the company’s AI struggles, Bloomberg reports.

By appointing Rockwell to oversee Siri, Apple is betting on an executive with a proven track record in engineering and product development. The driving force behind the Vision Pro, Rockwell is known for solving complex technical challenges and championing futuristic technologies. While the headset was a technical marvel, it struggled commercially, prompting Rockwell to shift focus as that division reassesses its future.

Rockwell, who joined Apple in 2015, played a crucial role in taking the Vision Pro from concept to market. Now, as vice president in charge of Siri, he will report to software chief Craig Federighi. This move completely removes Giannandrea from Siri’s development. Meanwhile, Paul Meade, who led Vision Pro’s hardware engineering under Rockwell, will take over the Vision Products Group.

Giannandrea, a former Google executive who joined Apple in 2018 to lead AI efforts, will remain with the company, potentially overseeing AI research, testing, and robotics. Siri faced engineering and quality issues long before Giannandrea took over. While he struggled to revamp the assistant, he made progress elsewhere—attracting top AI researchers to Apple, a company not previously known for such talent. He also consolidated Apple’s AI efforts, streamlining development by bringing related technologies under a single division.

His background in search and machine learning contrasts with Rockwell’s hardware expertise, raising questions about Apple’s evolving AI strategy.

Siri’s leadership has changed hands multiple times. Originally overseen by Scott Forstall at its 2011 launch, it later moved under Eddy Cue, then Federighi, and finally Giannandrea in 2018. Now, with Rockwell at the helm, oversight returns to Federighi, who is also leading a major revamp of Apple’s software ecosystem, including the development of Apple Intelligence.

Apple’s AI ambitions have hit repeated roadblocks, with key improvements to Siri now delayed until 2026. The company has not provided an official reason for the setbacks, but the delays highlight its struggle to keep pace with AI leaders like ChatGPT, the new Alexa, and Google Gemini.

Despite the technology being unfinished, Apple heavily advertised these upgrades to drive iPhone 16 sales—a move senior executive Robby Walker reportedly called “ugly and embarrassing.”