Apple's AI Chief John Giannandrea Departs This Week

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."