Siri's got problems Apple reportedly planning executive shake-up to address Siri delays Apple is looking to right the ship after a major Siri delay. Ryan Whitwam Mar 20, 2025 3:19 pm | 6 Credit: Apple Credit: Apple Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreApple was slower than most Big Tech firms to jump on the generative AI hype train, but it finally got there with the release of Apple Intelligence. The first components of Apple's AI rolled out last year, but it's going to take a bit longer for one of the most hotly anticipated features. After announcing that the improved Siri was delayed until 2026, Apple has reportedly begun an uncharacteristic reorganization of its executive ranks.The new report from Bloomberg claims that Apple hopes to get its AI-backed Siri efforts back on track after months of delays. The updated assistant is supposed to leverage on-device data to improve personal context to make interactions more natural and work across apps. CEO Tim Cook has apparently become dissatisfied with John Giannandrea, the company's AI head. Apple leadership discussed the lagging Siri AI features at length during a recent summit, and the result is that Giannandrea will no longer be overseeing Siri development.In the coming days, Apple is expected to tell employees that Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell will be stepping in to take over development of the next-gen Siri. This will remove Apple's troubled virtual assistant completely from Giannandrea's oversight, leaving him to work on AI research and testing initiatives. Apple's Vision Products Group, which is responsible for developing the company's VR headsets, will be managed by Rockwell deputy Paul Meade going forward.The Vision Pro was not exactly a smash hit for Apple, but no one expected a $3,500 VR headset to have the same impact as the iPhone. However, the Vision Pro did what it was supposed to do, and there is apparently a feeling inside the company that Rockwell knows how to leverage his technical expertise to get products out the door. The effort to release the Vision Pro involved years of work with a large team of engineers and designers, and several of the key advances required for its completion involved artificial intelligence.Apple's work on Siri will remain under the ultimate purview of Craig Federighi, the senior vice president of software engineering. He's responsible for all development work on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. He was also deeply involved with the launch of Apple Intelligence alongside Giannandrea.While one of his primary projects is being reassigned, Giannandrea will reportedly remain at the company for now. However, Apple may simply want him around for the optics. The abrupt departure of a senior AI figure during the troubled rollout of Apple Intelligence, which is now enabled by default, could further affect confidence in the company's AI efforts.For good or ill, generative AI features are key to the strategy at most large technology firms. Apple aggressively advertised Apple Intelligence during the iPhone 16 launch. It also cited the AI-enhanced Siri as a selling point, making the recent delay all the more awkward. Even if this shakeup gets Siri back on track, the late-to-arrive feature will be under intense scrutiny when it does finally show up.Ryan WhitwamSenior Technology ReporterRyan WhitwamSenior Technology Reporter Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he's written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards. 6 Comments