Who is Amar Subramanya? Apple taps ex- Microsoft & Google AI executive to replace retiring chief John Giannandrea

Apple has announced a major leadership change within its artificial intelligence division, appointing former Microsoft and Google executive Amar Subramanya to replace long-serving AI chief John Giannandrea. The transition marks the most significant reshuffle in Apple’s AI ranks since the launch of its Apple Intelligence suite in 2024, and comes at a moment when the company faces intensifying scrutiny over its position in the AI race.
Why is Apple changing its AI leadership now?
John Giannandrea, who joined Apple in 2018 and served as Senior Vice President of Machine Learning and AI Strategy, will step down from his role and retire next spring. Apple said he will remain as an advisor until then.
The decision lands during a period of heightened pressure for Apple, as analysts and industry experts increasingly argue that the company is trailing rivals such as Microsoft, Google and Meta in advanced AI development.
Apple Intelligence — intended to reassert Apple as a competitive force following the resurgence of AI sparked by ChatGPT in 2022 — has struggled to impress.
Users and critics have delivered lukewarm reviews of the system, and one of its centrepiece features, a substantially enhanced Siri assistant, has been delayed until 2026. The postponement has been widely viewed as evidence of internal development hurdles.
Who is Amar Subramanya?
Amar Subramanya is an AI researcher with a career spanning some of the world’s most influential technology companies. Before joining Apple, he most recently worked at Microsoft and previously spent time at Google’s DeepMind unit — one of the industry’s leading AI research groups — according to his LinkedIn profile.
At Apple, Subramanya will assume the role of Vice President of AI and report directly to Craig Federighi, the company’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. Apple confirmed that he will lead teams responsible for foundation models, AI research and AI safety, while responsibilities previously overseen by Giannandrea will be redistributed under Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan and services chief Eddy Cue.
In a statement praising the structural shift, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Federighi had already been “instrumental” in guiding the company’s AI ambitions. “In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar’s joining, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalised Siri to users next year,” Cook said.
Is Apple falling behind its AI competitors?
Although Apple shares have risen 16% in 2025, they still lag behind those of its tech peers — many of which are deploying billions into AI data centres, proprietary chips and frontier-scale models. Analysts argue that Apple’s more conservative approach to infrastructure investment has left the company playing catch-up.
Apple has emphasised that it is “significantly increasing” its AI spending, and Cook has repeatedly described AI as a “profound” technology. The company has also struck a deal with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into its products, including Siri.
However, Apple remains committed to a distinctive strategy: favouring on-device processing instead of cloud-based computation, a choice that prioritises privacy and efficiency but demands highly optimised models.
How does this shift fit into Apple’s broader AI ambitions?
The company’s AI story in 2025 has been shaped not only by internal restructuring but also by external developments. Jony Ive — Apple’s former chief designer and one of the architects of the iPhone — sold his hardware startup to OpenAI for $6.4 billion, with plans to help the AI lab develop its own hardware. Early prototypes, Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, have already been completed and could debut within two years.
This raises questions about how Apple will maintain its hardware dominance as competitors accelerate towards AI-specific devices.
Industry analysts argue that while Apple has built an unparalleled loyalty moat since the iPhone’s debut in 2007, the next major hardware shift could be driven by artificial intelligence rather than traditional mobile innovation — making leadership changes like Subramanya’s particularly consequential.