In a striking critique of Apple's artificial intelligence strategy, prominent Bloomberg journalist and Apple analyst Mark Gurman has identified what he believes to be the single most damaging decision that set the technology giant back years in the global AI race. During an appearance on TBPN, Gurman pointed directly to Apple's 2018 recruitment of John Giannandrea from Google, labeling it "the biggest mistake" of Tim Cook's entire tenure as Chief Executive Officer.
The High-Profile Hiring That Failed to Deliver
"In 2018, they hired John Giannandrea. He was this high flyer at Google. He ran AI in search, and Apple thought they would hire this guy and really hit the ground running and be at the forefront of AI," Gurman explained during the discussion. The journalist emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, "You haven't even scratched the surface of how big a problem this is for Apple. They've completely screwed up AI in every way, and it comes down to hiring the wrong people and entrusting the wrong people."
From Pioneer to Laggard: The Siri Story
The criticism carries particular weight because Apple was actually an early pioneer in consumer AI. When Siri launched in 2011 as a revolutionary voice assistant, no competing product came close to matching its capabilities. However, Gurman noted that under Giannandrea's leadership, the once-groundbreaking assistant "became utter junk" in subsequent years, even as rivals like Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa rapidly caught up and eventually surpassed Apple's offering.
Giannandrea was specifically brought onboard to reverse this decline and propel Apple's AI efforts forward. Instead, multiple reports from Bloomberg and The Information have painted a troubling picture of:
- Repeatedly delayed product launches
- Significant internal organizational chaos
- A concerning talent exodus that saw key AI researchers depart for competitors like Meta and OpenAI
By spring 2025, CEO Tim Cook had apparently seen enough evidence of failure. He made the decisive move to strip Giannandrea of his Siri responsibilities entirely, handing control of the troubled project to software chief Craig Federighi instead.
The Billion-Dollar Consequence
The full extent of Apple's AI struggles became publicly apparent this month with a remarkable corporate admission: the company cannot build competitive artificial intelligence technology on its own. This realization culminated in Apple announcing a multi-year partnership with Google, agreeing to pay approximately $1 billion annually to license Google's Gemini AI models as the foundation for a completely revamped Siri platform.
Diminished Role and Uncertain Future
While John Giannandrea still retains his formal title as Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, his actual influence within the company has reportedly shrunk considerably. Now 60 years old, Giannandrea has allegedly told colleagues he intends to remain at Apple until the company's AI initiatives are "in proper shape"—while simultaneously expressing relief that the troubled Siri project is "now someone else's problem."
This development represents a significant strategic shift for Apple, which has traditionally prided itself on developing proprietary technology rather than relying on partnerships with competitors. The substantial financial commitment to Google underscores both the urgency of Apple's AI predicament and the long-term consequences of what Gurman characterizes as a critical hiring misstep six years earlier.
