Apple has appointed Amar Subramanya, an AI researcher with long experience at Microsoft and Google, as its new AI Vice President. John Giannandrea is scheduled to retire in 2026. Know who Amar Subramanya is and what role he will play in Apple’s AI strategy.
New Delhi. There has been a big change in the tech world. Apple has appointed renowned artificial intelligence researcher Amar Subramanya as its new AI Vice President. This is the same time when Apple’s current AI Chief John Giannandrea has decided to retire in 2026. In such a situation, the question arises that why was Amar Subramanya given this big responsibility? After all, what is his specialty that forced Apple to choose him?
What is the real background of Amar Subramanya?
Amar Subramaniam is a name who has spent almost two decades working in the world’s biggest tech companies—Google, Microsoft, and IBM—and leading many big projects in AI research, machine learning, and engineering. For Apple, this experience is like icing on the cake. He most recently served as Corporate Vice President (CVP) of AI at Microsoft and before that spent 16 years at Google. Before leaving Google, he was the head of engineering for Gemini Assistant and Bard/Gemini Apps.
- His tech journey is very interesting.
- He became the first intern at Microsoft
- Then software engineer at IBM
- Then back to Microsoft as a researcher
- And finally Google’s top AI engineering leader
Talking about educational background, he has done engineering from Bangalore University and PhD from University of Washington.
Was Apple left behind in the AI race?
- Apple’s AI strategy was in questions for the last two years.
- “Apple Intelligence”, launched in 2024, has not been as effective as expected. People said – Apple is lagging behind OpenAI and Google in the AI race.
- On top of that, the new advanced version of Siri got postponed till 2026.
- Many analysts said: Apple must refresh its AI leadership.
- Perhaps this is why this big step was taken.
Why did Apple choose Amar Subramanya?
1. Will his Google and Microsoft expertise propel Apple forward?
The experience of AI research, machine learning models and launching big products in the market sets Subramanya apart from other candidates.
2. Did Apple need a trusted technology leader?
Yes. Apple wanted an AI chief who could bring the company back to the top in the rapidly changing AI industry.
3. Is this decision of Apple a response to OpenAI-Google competition?
Looks like this is it. Apple has already decided to add ChatGPT to Siri. Now it needed a leader who could understand Google-like systems and a Microsoft-like AI value chain.
Will Amar Subramanya change the future of Apple?
This is a big question and the tech world is very curious about it. His deep understanding of AI and ML can transform Apple’s next generation technologies, such as Apple Intelligence, Siri 2.0 and on-device AI. Apple said it is “significantly increasing” AI spending in 2025. Now that the new AI VP is in place, the industry is keeping an eye on how Apple will redefine the AI game.