Secret Meeting, Executive Ousted, Betting on Google Gemini—Can the New Siri Redeem Cook’s Last Stand?

Apple's comprehensive lag in the field of artificial intelligence is seeking a comeback through a high-level reorganization and sweeping product overhaul. According to Bloomberg, this belated self-rescue began with a secret executive meeting in early 2025, with the endpoint being the debut of the new Siri at this week’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). On June 7, Bloomberg revealed that this meeting was held in a conference room near Apple’s software engineering department, with attendees including several Senior Vice Presidents, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and other key executives. The central topic was only one: Apple Intelligence had failed completely, the major upgrade of the next-generation Siri was on the verge of delay, while Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic were quickly widening the gap. This meeting ultimately led to a fundamental reorganization of Apple’s AI architecture, directly resulting in the then-head of AI, John Giannandrea, being stripped of most of his authority and subsequently leaving the company. For Apple CEO Tim Cook, the failure of Apple Intelligence 1.0 was characterized by Bloomberg as "a blemish on his resume." Cook subsequently broke with tradition, personally deeply engaging in the planning of the AI roadmap, and pressured subordinates to accelerate progress—this was the most rare direct product intervention in his more than ten years at Apple. Currently, the market focus has shifted from "whether Apple recognizes the issue" to "whether this belated transformation can be thorough enough." A secret meeting: Internal acknowledgment ignites Apple’s AI crisis According to Bloomberg, the meeting was chaired by then-Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams; Cook himself did not attend. Participants included former head of interface design Alan Dye, Vision Pro founder Mike Rockwell, and several of the company’s top executives. The core conclusion of the meeting: Apple’s problems in AI are not only technical but also systemic failures of culture, structure, and leadership. Decision-making was dispersed, responsibilities blurry, AI had long been deprioritized internally—these issues were magnified sharply after ChatGPT’s explosive debut at the end of 2022. The report points out that generative AI had not even entered Apple’s strategic vision when ChatGPT was released. During the meeting, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi led most discussions, but the truly pivotal voice was Rockwell. He had just launched Vision Pro—although sales were lackluster, internally it was still seen as a major technical achievement, granting him considerable influence. Rockwell actively volunteered at the meeting, expressing willingness to take on the role as Apple’s AI and Siri "firefighter." Rockwell initially hoped to become head of Apple’s overall AI business, reporting directly to Cook and fully replacing Giannandrea. However, Federighi opposed this, insisting Rockwell would only be responsible for Siri and would still report to him, ensuring software engineering retained control over AI and Siri. Rockwell believed Federighi had previously been slow to recognize the importance of AI, lacking sufficient urgency. Additionally, Rockwell hoped this would help him get promoted to Senior Vice President, but this was also denied. Nevertheless, he ultimately accepted the arrangement to lead Siri under Federighi. On another personnel track, throughout most of 2025 Apple widely searched for a second AI head, and ultimately recruited engineering executive Amar Subramanya from Google and Microsoft, to be responsible for AI models and research, also reporting to Federighi. Cook breaks with tradition, personally leading AI strategy According to Bloomberg, the severity of Apple’s AI crisis forced Cook to change his usual management style. Previously, he typically only participated in product demos and major decisions, delegating the roadmap and daily decisions to subordinates. After the failure of Apple Intelligence, his involvement in AI surpassed any prior product project in the past decade. Cook began directly expressing his preferences for AI functions, unilaterally making some decisions, and pressuring executives like Federighi, demanding that they "pull themselves together," and criticizing them for not treating the technology seriously from the start. He also delivered a company-wide motivational speech with AI as the theme. New Siri: Rebuilt with Google Gemini, multiple hardware products lifted from “AI lock” According to reports, after Rockwell took over Siri, he quickly replaced the original Siri management team with the core team he trusted from the Vision Pro and visionOS projects. At the same time, he initiated an evaluation of third-party AI solutions, eventually pushing Apple to reach an agreement with Google to replace the underlying model and cloud computing system powering Siri with Gemini and Google Cloud technologies. Craig Federighi and Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue also participated in this deal. At the product level, Apple’s stance has undergone significant shifts. When Apple Intelligence was announced, Federighi and other executives publicly denied the necessity of chatbots and standalone AI apps, but now they are launching a standalone Siri app to compete with ChatGPT. Apple previously criticized the use of generative AI in camera apps, claiming photos should be "a personal record of what really happened," but the upcoming WWDC will demonstrate new features allowing users to fill photo gaps and change perspectives using generative AI. The report says insufficient AI capabilities have directly caused delays in multiple Apple hardware products. The desktop robot originally slated for release in 2026-2027 has now been postponed until 2028; the smart home display has been pushed from its original 2024 launch target to the end of 2026 (at the earliest); smart glasses have been delayed from early 2027 to the end of 2027. Cook’s legacy and Ternus’s challenge According to reports, this WWDC is both Cook’s final act as CEO and the starting point for Apple’s AI reconstruction project. Cook will step down on September 1st this year, handing the company to John Ternus. Ternus takes over a company striving to prove it can still lead technological change; he has already led the development of glasses, pendant devices, camera-equipped AirPods, and home devices, but AI shortfalls have continually hindered these products' official launch. For Rockwell, the launch of the new Siri is the most significant delivery of his career. Success will cement his position in Apple’s upper ranks and lay the foundation for a larger role in the Ternus era. Bloomberg believes Apple’s problem is no longer "whether it realizes the importance of AI," but whether "the change initiated by that pivotal meeting will be enough to ensure Apple’s dominance on the new computing platform." Risk Warning and Disclaimer The market carries risks; investment must be prudent. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and has not considered individual users’ unique investment goals, financial status or needs. 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