At the recently held WWDC25 Global Developers Conference in 2025, the absence of John Giannandrea, head of Apple's artificial intelligence department, drew widespread attention and speculation. According to a report by Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Giannandrea seems to have gradually faded from Apple's core management team and may leave the company in the near future.
Since joining Apple in 2018, Giannandrea was highly anticipated. As the former head of Google’s search and AI department, he accumulated rich experience in the industry. However, despite his strong technical background, his performance at Apple did not meet expectations. Over the years, Giannandrea struggled to integrate into Apple’s corporate culture and had significant disagreements with senior executives on AI philosophy, leading to his recent demotion.
Compared to last year's WWDC24, Giannandrea's absence was particularly noticeable. Last year, he interacted with the media and gave speeches at the conference. However, this year, not only was Giannandrea absent, but Apple also adopted an unusually cautious stance on AI. Craig Federighi, head of Apple software, mentioned in his speech that "Apple's intelligence still needs more refinement," while the focus of the entire event shifted to the new visual style and system updates for iOS26.
Gurman analyzed that Giannandrea's power within Apple has been weakened, and the company may no longer trust him. With artificial intelligence technology becoming increasingly important in market competition, this change raises doubts about Apple's future development in AI. Although Apple has been striving to enhance its AI functions and applications, whether internal leadership turmoil will affect future progress remains to be observed.
Apple is facing the challenge of better integrating AI technology with its products, and Giannandrea's absence may make this process more complex. The industry will continue to closely monitor Apple's future layout in the field of artificial intelligence.
Key points:
🛑 Giannandrea's absence from WWDC25 may signal a risk of leaving the company.
⚡️ His demotion is related to disagreements with senior executives on AI philosophy.
👀 Apple's cautious attitude toward AI development has sparked speculation about its future plans.
