Apple is playing catch-up, and they just brought in a titan: Amar Subramanya, ex-Google Gemini and Microsoft AI chief. He replaces John Giannandrea. This is the leadership shake-up Apple desperately needed to fix Siri and accelerate Apple Intelligence. Raw notes on the new VP’s background and the high-stakes moment.
Big news out of Cupertino. Huge one. Apple just officially appointed Amar Subramanya as their new Vice President of AI. This is a massive leadership shake-up. Like, the kind that signals a company admitting it needs to move faster.
He’s replacing John Giannandrea. The long-time AI chief who came over from Google back in 2018. Giannandrea is staying on as an advisor until his retirement in spring 2026. A graceful exit. But the timing is everything here.
Who is Amar Subramanya?
This guy is a veteran. A serious one. He spent 16 years at Google, rising up to be the head of engineering for the Gemini assistant. You know, the platform Google is betting its entire future on. He then had a stint as corporate VP of AI at Microsoft. He’s seen it all. He knows how to scale this stuff.
And here’s the kicker for us: His academic roots trace right back to India. He got his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, Electronics and Communication from Bangalore University. That happened. And then the University of Washington PhD followed. A deep expert in machine learning, large-scale systems.
Why the Change?
Subramanya is coming in at a crucial moment. Let’s be real. Apple has been slammed. Criticized heavily for lagging behind Google, Microsoft, Samsung—all of them—in pushing out real, next-gen AI features. The personalized Siri they previewed? It got delayed. The Apple Intelligence suite? Users have given it lukewarm feedback.
CEO Tim Cook thanked Giannandrea, sure. But the subtext is clear. Cook highlighted Subramanya’s “extraordinary AI expertise” and said he’s “pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team.” Craig Federighi, the senior VP of software engineering, is now the boss. He’s the one who was instrumental in pushing the revamped Siri forward after Giannandrea’s team struggled.
Subramanya’s job is clear:
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Oversee Apple Foundation Models. That’s the core technology.
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Handle AI Safety and Evaluation.
They brought in a veteran of large-scale, generative AI systems to fix the perceived fumbles of the past. The move highlights Apple’s aggressive push. They need to integrate their “Apple Intelligence” deeply across the iPhone, Mac, iPad. This appointment happened. And now the pressure is on Subramanya to deliver, fast. It’s an ongoing situation where the AI arms race just got a lot more intense for Apple.
