John Giannandrea

John Giannandrea was born in Bridge of Allan in Scotland and built his career in the United States in software. He worked at General Magic, was chief technologist of the web browser group at Netscape, and co-founded Tellme Networks, a voice recognition company later acquired by Microsoft, as well as the knowledge database Metaweb, which was bought by Google.

At Google he rose to lead search and artificial intelligence. Apple hired him in 2018 as senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, reporting to Tim Cook, and he took charge of Siri as well as the Core ML and Core AI efforts and, for a time, of the cancelled car project. In March 2025, following delays in Apple's plans for a more personal Siri, Apple moved Siri to other leaders and reportedly removed it from his responsibilities.

In December 2025 Apple announced that he was stepping down and would retire in the spring of 2026, with an adviser role in the meantime. In its AI work, the company has since relied on other leaders, with Craig Federighi overseeing Siri and Apple Intelligence.

His time at Apple covered a growing public focus on artificial intelligence and the company's plans for Apple Intelligence, which was announced in 2024. Apple has said its approach to machine learning centers on running features on the device where possible and on privacy.