• Apple (AAPL) loses roughly a dozen AI researchers and executives, including senior vice president John Giannandrea and Siri leader Robby Walker, with many joining Meta (META).
  • The company responds by hiring Amar Subramanya as vice president of AI and redistributing roles under Craig Federighi, Sabih Khan, and Eddy Cue amid low morale and AI delays.
  • These exits reflect intense AI talent competition in Big Tech, impacting Apple's engineering retention and Siri upgrade plans for spring 2026.

Apple Inc. is grappling with a significant exodus from its artificial intelligence division, with senior vice president John Giannandrea set to retire in spring 2026 after leading Machine Learning and AI Strategy, according to people familiar with the matter. The departures include roughly a dozen AI researchers and executives, such as Robby Walker and Ke Yang, many of whom have joined Meta, signaling escalating talent wars in Silicon Valley.

Efforts to bolster Apple's AI capabilities have hit a snag as the company faces one of its largest talent drains in decades. Without a robust internal pipeline, Apple risks falling further behind competitors like OpenAI (OPEN) and Google (GOOGL) in the race for advanced AI features. In response, Apple has hired Amar Subramanya as vice president of AI to oversee foundation models and research, while redistributing key roles under executives Craig Federighi, Sabih Khan, and Eddy Cue, sources indicate.

"It's a challenging environment for retention, with aggressive poaching via high pay packages," said one industry insider, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to confidentiality agreements. Apple's AI struggles trace back to Siri stagnation since 2018 and delays in the Apple Intelligence rollout, contributing to mixed market responses and stock volatility in recent quarters. The company reported strong revenue growth in 2025, driven by services and hardware, but AI-related concerns have weighed on investor sentiment.

Low morale among remaining employees has been reported, partly due to reliance on external AI solutions like Google's Gemini. Apple is now ramping up recruitment and realigning AI teams for a Siri upgrade in iOS 26.4, targeted for spring 2026. Meta has benefited most from the departures, hiring nine ex-Apple AI staff, including interface design head Alan Dye and Ke Yang, for its superintelligence and robotics labs. Parallel moves include Microsoft (MSFT)'s brief recruitment of Subramanya before Apple's hire and OpenAI poaching other talent, highlighting cross-industry flux.

Attempts to reach Apple for comment on the ongoing exits were unsuccessful, but internal memos reviewed by sources emphasize a reinforced strategy under Subramanya's leadership. Short-term, Siri enhancements and the AI relaunch may stabilize efforts, but experts predict challenges in catching up to AI leaders without bolder innovation. The broader context includes U.S. AI regulations on safety and export controls that could influence Apple's foundation model development, though no direct government policies are tied to these departures.

Stakeholders, including investors, face uncertainty over Apple's AI competitiveness, potentially delaying personalized Siri features for consumers. Public discourse has sparked debates on talent mobility ethics, with some viewing the exits as a natural part of Silicon Valley's dynamic landscape. Historically, similar talent drains occurred at Google and Meta during past AI booms, suggesting this may be a cyclical industry trend.

Looking ahead, Apple's restructuring signals a commitment to in-house large language models, but ongoing exits risk further delays. The company's market capitalization, exceeding $3 trillion, and employment of over 160,000 people worldwide provide a strong foundation, but the AI talent war shows no signs of abating. As one source put it, "The race is on, and every departure counts."