Two months after taking office, Ternus met privately with Federighi: “We need to move faster on next-generation AI, not just improve Siri.”
Key takeaways
▶ Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly recently met privately with Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering, and called for Apple to accelerate its AI development timeline.
▶ Mike Rockwell, the vice president who led Siri’s AI development, is reportedly considering stepping down as head of Siri engineering in 2027 or leaving Apple.
▶ The way Federighi’s software organization operates is also being discussed as a possible target for change.
Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, has reportedly called for the company to accelerate AI development just two months after taking office. He wants Apple to move beyond improving Siri’s performance and speed up development of next-generation AI products. With reports also raising the possibility that Siri chief Mike Rockwell could depart, attention is turning to how Apple’s AI organization is run.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported the news on Nov. 8 in his “Power On” newsletter. According to the report, Ternus recently met privately with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, and urged him to bring forward the AI development schedule.
Ternus reportedly believes Apple lacks a sense of urgency in AI development compared with competitors such as Google and OpenAI. His view is that the company should focus on developing next-generation AI products and services, rather than limiting itself to enhancing existing Siri features.
Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as CEO on Sept. 1. He previously oversaw hardware development, including the iPhone and Mac. From the outset of his tenure, he has been directly involved in AI strategy and the operation of the software organization, pushing to accelerate change.
◆ Calls for change from within
Federighi is a key executive overseeing Apple’s software development. Since an AI organizational restructuring last year, he has also taken on broad responsibility for AI strategy and development.
Last December, Apple announced that John Giannandrea, the senior vice president who had led its AI strategy, would step down. The company recruited Amar Subramanya, who previously worked at Google and Microsoft, as vice president of AI, reporting to Federighi.
Bloomberg has pointed to the way the software organization is run as a concern. Federighi is said to be directly involved in major technical decisions and meetings. He is known for closely examining technical details and actively engaging with opposing views. Some software engineers and designers reportedly feel that, under this decision-making structure, it is difficult for alternative viewpoints to influence the direction of product development.
There is also a difference in planning horizons. Federighi’s organization typically plans software development 12 to 18 months ahead, while the hardware organization prepares product and technology development schedules over several years.
Some analysts say Ternus is asking the software organization to combine a long-term AI strategy with faster execution.
Apple is also changing its development approach. As it works on its next operating systems, the company is testing a plan to increase by 50% the time engineers spend on coding and exploring features. With AI coding tools advancing, the effort aims to reduce time spent on integration and allow teams to focus on developing new features.
◆ Siri development chief Rockwell may leave next year
As Apple pushes to accelerate AI development, the future of a key executive has also become a factor. Bloomberg reported that Vice President Mike Rockwell is seriously considering stepping down as head of Siri engineering in 2027 or leaving Apple.
Rockwell led development of Apple’s mixed-reality headset, Vision Pro. In March 2025, he took charge of Siri’s development organization and led work on the delayed next-generation Siri AI. At the time, Apple reorganized the development team after the launch of AI features for Siri, announced in 2024, was delayed. Rockwell changed the development structure, including by moving some Vision Pro staff to the Siri organization. Apple later unveiled an updated Siri AI at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) and released related features.
This is not the first time questions have been raised about Rockwell’s future. Bloomberg previously reported that he was unhappy with the reporting structure under Federighi and wanted a greater say in the company’s strategic decisions.
If Rockwell leaves, Vice President Amar Subramanya and Sébastien Marineau may divide responsibility for Siri-related work. Marineau leads the integration of AI features into operating systems under Federighi.
◆ Moving beyond Siri improvements to AI agents
This year, Apple introduced a next-generation Siri AI that can understand personal context and what is on the screen, then carry out tasks within apps. The system uses information such as users’ schedules, messages and on-screen content to respond to requests. Some features also draw on Google’s Gemini technology.
On Nov. 3, Apple released a developer preview that allows third-party app developers to connect their app content and features to Siri. This is a step toward expanding Siri’s ability to perform tasks across a range of external services, beyond Apple’s own apps.
AI agents are Apple’s next target. Traditional voice assistants generally execute predefined functions in response to user commands. AI agents, by contrast, can understand a goal set by the user, determine the steps needed and carry out a series of tasks. For example, if asked to plan a trip, an agent could link several steps, from checking schedules to searching for and booking transportation.
Attention is now on whether Apple can turn its new CEO’s demand for faster development into actual products. Rockwell’s future and the way Federighi’s organization is run have also emerged as factors that could shape the company’s AI strategy.