Apple Inc.’s new head of Siri engineering is shaking up the leadership team behind the troubled voice assistant and has reassured employees that the changes will set the company on a path to success.
According to people familiar with the matter, Mike Rockwell, the head of engineering for Siri, is replacing much of the voice assistant’s leadership with key members from his Vision Pro software group. These sources, who asked to remain anonymous due to the private nature of the changes, said that teams focused on speech, comprehension, performance, and user experience are also being reorganized.
That had been appointed last month in a complete revamp of the leadership, which had divested some charge from Apple’s AI guru, John Giannandrea, and the erstwhile head of Siri, Robbie Walker. The move followed significant delays and dysfunction within Siri’s engineering, prompting CEO Tim Cook to search for new leadership. Fixing Siri has become one of Apple’s biggest challenges since the assistant debuted in 2011. The technology has lagged behind rivals like Google (Alphabet Inc.) and OpenAI, highlighting Apple’s broader struggles to gain ground in the rapidly evolving AI space.
One of Rockwell’s first moves was to bring in longtime deputy Ranjit Desai from the Vision Pro team. Desai is now overseeing most of Siri’s engineering, including its core platform and systems groups. Rockwell informed his workforce that Desai’s expertise in devising systems of high efficiency and limited latency would aid in pushing Siri’s performance to new heights. Olivier Gutknecht added that it would help Apple build technology that would make it “world-class” and “scalable.”
Other new leaders include people like Begemann, who worked on the Vision Pro operating system, and Duffy, who previously oversaw core iPhone software under the Core OS team. These are some of Apple’s most talented software engineers, known for shipping some of the company’s toughest projects.
Stuart Bowers, who leads data, training, and evaluation teams, will now take on an expanded role focused on improving how Siri responds to user queries. Longtime Siri leader David Vinarsky will now head a new group responsible for all voice and speech-related components.
These changes show that Rockwell is either replacing or demoting prior Siri managers and leaning on Vision Pro veterans to breathe new life into the assistant.
Despite taking over Siri, Rockwell continues to lead the visionOS operating system — the software that powers current and future Vision devices. The Vision team holds its roots within the broader hardware engineering management structure and John Ternus is the senior executive chain-of-command.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment.
The visionOS software teams whose members are moving to work on Siri are being handed over to Geoff Stahl, one of Rockwell’s longtime deputies. Stahl helps manage software engineering for Vision devices. Rockwell is keeping some other visionOS leaders, including apps head Jeff Norris and software program management lead Hailey Allen.
Apple’s AI and Machine Learning team — jokingly referred to by some employees as “AI/MLess” — has been struggling for months with management issues, philosophical disagreements, and execution problems.
When Apple introduced its Apple Intelligence platform last June, it unveiled several Siri upgrades, including features that allow it to use personal data and analyze on-screen content to complete commands. The company also showed an enhanced version of App Intents — a system designed to control apps and actions more precisely.
Earlier this year, quality and engineering setbacks forced Apple to delay the rollout of that technology from April to May. By March, the company had indefinitely postponed all three features in a rare reversal. In an internal meeting, the former Siri head told employees that the system failed to function properly about one-third of the time, adding that the situation was so “ugly” that some staff might feel “embarrassed.”
Currently, Siri operates using dual “brains.” The first set of tasks includes setting alarms and carrying out other basic commands. The other is powered by large language models — the core tech behind generative AI — and is designed for more advanced capabilities. But running both systems in tandem has caused reliability issues. As a result, Apple is now rebuilding Siri’s architecture around a single LLM-based system. This move is expected to enable a more interactive user experience, though the full upgrade may take several years to complete.
To bring the new App Intents feature to market — now overseen by Gutknecht — Apple plans to work directly with major third-party app developers to ensure seamless integration. It’s also embedding the technology more deeply within its own apps. The goal is to allow users to perform complex sequences of tasks with a single voice command. For example, Siri could find a photo, edit it, and send it via email or iMessage.
The management reshuffle began earlier this year when Apple moved Kim Vorrath — a seasoned software engineering manager known for handling tough projects — to the Siri team. She previously led project management for Vision Pro under Rockwell. A few months later, she was moved again, now working with Rockwell under Apple software head Craig Federighi.
Giannandrea remains Apple’s head of AI, reporting directly to Tim Cook. He oversees key AI initiatives, including large language model development, infrastructure, and test operations, as well as a “metrics” team focused on improving AI performance. Walker still reports to Giannandrea and remains connected to Siri, though he has lost hundreds of engineers to Rockwell.
With Rockwell taking over Siri, there have already been a few grumbling employees and onlookers. But despite the commercial challenges, Rockwell has demonstrated the ability to manage large projects and secure heavy investments from senior leadership. He also developed an operating system and product considered technically solid.
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