The meeting behind Apple's AI overhaul Apfelpatient

Apple Intelligence was considered a failure after its launch, and the promised Siri overhaul was repeatedly delayed. According to a new report, the turning point came with a single meeting in early 2025 – ironically, without Tim Cook present. What was discussed there continues to shape this Monday's keynote address.

The focus of Monday's WWDC keynote is expected to be on AI features in iOS 27 and other operating systems, from a completely revamped Siri to new frameworks for developers – expectations for WWDC 2026 are correspondingly high. For Apple, it would also mark the provisional end of a turbulent period: After the bumpy launch of Apple Intelligence and the repeated delays of the new Siri, the company had to react. Over the past two years, Apple has therefore significantly restructured its AI work. The trigger for this is now described by Mark Gurman in Bloomberg's Power On newsletter: a meeting in early 2025.

The crisis meeting at the beginning of 2025

At the time, Apple faced a rapidly evolving industry that was lagging behind in its own AI development. According to the report, several executives met in a conference room near the software engineering department to address the problem. Cook himself was not present; the meeting was convened by the now-retired COO, Jeff Williams. The participants, according to the report, included several C-level executives, as well as the former head of interface design, Alan Dye, and the then-head of Vision Pro, Mike Rockwell.

The focus was on the crisis surrounding Apple Intelligence and the looming further delay of the Siri overhaul. Those present quickly grasped the magnitude of the problem – and the consequences for Apple if nothing were done. The group ultimately formulated a recommendation for Cook, who at that time had little confidence in the then-head of AI, John Giannandrea. He was also present.

Rockwell volunteers

Most of the discussions were led by software chief Craig Federighi. However, it was Rockwell who, according to the report, volunteered to take over the restructuring of AI and Siri. His credibility was high after the launch of Apple Vision Pro, which further helped his case.

The idea itself wasn't new. Around a decade earlier, former hardware chief Dan Riccio had pushed for an AI expert to join the leadership team and tasked Rockwell with developing a five-year plan for a completely revamped Siri. However, the then-current leadership was largely unresponsive, and the roadmap was never finalized. At a meeting in early 2025, the same group was convinced that personnel changes were now necessary – and recommended that Cook give Rockwell the responsibility for Siri.

Siri instead of the entire AI

However, nothing was quite settled yet. While the group favored Rockwell, and Cook was close to agreeing in March 2025, Rockwell assumed he would eventually take over Apple's overall AI responsibilities and succeed Giannandrea. Federighi, on the other hand, believed Rockwell should focus on Siri and report to him—not directly to Cook.

Rockwell felt that Federighi didn't fully grasp the importance of AI and temporarily stepped down from the Siri role. Driven by a desire for a promotion to Senior Vice President, he ultimately accepted the position – under Federighi's supervision. That this friction persisted later became apparent: Rockwell was reportedly considering leaving the role because he disliked reporting to Federighi and the scope of his responsibilities.

The search for the model chief

With Rockwell's decision to focus on Siri, a gap remained: someone had to take charge of the AI models. According to the report, a lengthy search ensued in 2025, culminating in the appointment of Amar Subramanya as the second head of AI – also reporting to Federighi. Subramanya, formerly with Google and Microsoft, assumed responsibility for the Apple Foundation Models.

But the gap with the rest of the industry remained. Rockwell therefore explored ways to catch up more quickly, including external solutions. This led, together with Federighi and Services head Eddy Cue, to the deal with Google regarding Gemini and Google Cloud, with which Apple aimed to accelerate the development of its new Foundation Models.

Cook intervenes

Beyond the meeting, Apple's period of weakness had another consequence: more Cook than usual. According to the report, the CEO became personally involved in the AI roadmap, made more decisions than usual, and even delivered a kind of AI address to the workforce. Normally, Cook leaves roadmaps and key decisions to his direct reports and leads with a relatively light hand – but he didn't do that with AI.

He urged Federighi and others to take the issue more seriously and make it a success. Federighi, who is responsible for implementing the AI features, has since adjusted his view: He now considers AI to be the central focus of operating system updates in the coming years.

Whether the turnaround has been enough will be revealed on Monday

The meeting in early 2025 is thus considered a turning point for Apple's AI efforts – at a time when the company urgently needed to take countermeasures. The results of this overhaul can be seen on Monday: A completely redesigned Siri with its own app and system-wide search gesture is considered the centerpiece of the keynote. However, whether the initiated turnaround has truly been sufficient can only be judged once the keynote video starts. (Image: Apple)