Apple reorganizes AI – former Siri boss Robby Walker leaves Apfelpatient

In May 2025, it became clear that Apple would have to postpone the launch of the new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence. Since then, a lot has happened behind the scenes. The executive responsible, Robby Walker, isn't just changing projects—he's leaving the company entirely. This move sheds new light on the state of Apple's AI initiatives.

Apple had big plans for Apple Intelligence. The combination of personalized AI, a smarter Siri, and closer integration with iOS was intended to set standards. But despite the announcement in June 2024, implementation was slow. A year later, the project wasn't stopped, but it was significantly slowed down. This delay had internal consequences, not only technical but also personnel-related.

A speech that sticks in the company

In May 2025 – at the time the release was delayed – Robby Walker, a senior director at Apple, gave an internal address to the Siri team. The speech later made the rounds and is still a topic of conversation today. In it, Walker made an unusual comparison: Working on the new Siri was like trying to swim to Hawaii. The team had covered hundreds of kilometers, even breaking records – but they just didn't reach the finish line. Instead of being praised for their achievement, they were criticized for not reaching the goal. In addition to the comparison, the speech also addressed the competition. Walker emphasized that other companies had long since released similar features, but that Apple deliberately refrains from shipping unfinished products. Its own standards took precedence over short-term market pressures. The message was clear: It's about quality, not speed.

Switch to the “Answers” project

After the speech, Walker moved to a new team within the company. There he worked on the "Answers" project, an AI-based search technology that is still in development. According to current information, release is planned for 2026. It was never officially confirmed what exactly the Answers team was working on, but the project is considered Apple's approach to developing a standalone knowledge and answers engine—possibly as a complement or alternative to its collaboration with OpenAI. Following the change, the team Walker originally led at Siri shrank significantly. According to the recent Bloomberg report, many positions were either not filled or were allocated to other projects. Siri itself shifted to a new area of responsibility. Instead of being led by AI chief John Giannandrea, responsibility now fell to Mike Rockwell—the brains behind Apple Vision Pro and visionOS.

Robby Walker leaves Apple

It's now confirmed: Robby Walker will leave Apple at the end of October 2025. This is reported by Mark Gurman at Bloomberg. The reasons for the departure were not officially disclosed. However, the timing is notable, as Apple is in the midst of a comprehensive AI overhaul. Following his move to the Answers project and the restructuring of the Siri team, Walker's role at the company had already been reduced.

Apple Intelligence and the role of third parties

Apple currently relies on OpenAI's ChatGPT to answer general knowledge questions within Siri and Apple Intelligence. This integration was necessary to provide users with a high-quality experience despite its own models not yet being fully developed. At the same time, according to Bloomberg, Apple is examining the extent to which Google's Gemini model could be integrated in the future. Gemini appears to be under discussion as an option, particularly for certain functions in the next version of Siri. Despite antitrust proceedings in the US, the search contract with Google has so far remained untouched. Apple continues to receive significant revenue for maintaining Google as the default search engine on iOS. This gives Apple financial flexibility to consider its own AI solutions – or to specifically seek external expertise.

Next steps for Siri

The revised version of Siri, based on Apple Intelligence, is currently expected for spring 2026. It remains to be seen whether Apple will switch to a fully internal AI model by then or continue to rely on partners like OpenAI or Google. One thing is clear: the company remains committed to offering a significantly more powerful, context-aware, and personalized version of its voice assistant.

Apple: Quality demands meet market pressure

The path to Apple Intelligence hasn't been without setbacks. The delay of the Siri relaunch, internal restructuring, and now the departure of a key figure demonstrate the complexity of Apple's AI reorientation. Despite the turmoil, the company continues to work on its own solutions and maintains its high quality standards. Whether this will pay off in the long term will be decided by the release in 2026 – and by the question of whether Apple will be more than a platform provider for third-party AI models by then. (Image: Shutterstock / NorthSky Films)

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