New York: Apple on Monday announced a major leadership shake-up in its AI division and appointed Amar Subramanya — a Bengaluru University graduate and former Microsoft and Google executive — as vice president of AI. Subramanya replaces long-serving AI chief John Giannandrea in what is seen as Apple’s most significant AI leadership transition since the launch of its Apple Intelligence suite in 2024.
Subramanya is an AI researcher and engineering leader with a career spanning some of the world’s most influential technology companies. Before joining Apple, he served as corporate vice president of AI at Microsoft, where he worked on enterprise and consumer AI systems, including foundation models powering Microsoft Copilot.
He previously spent 16 years at Google, eventually becoming head of engineering for Gemini — Google’s flagship AI assistant — and also worked with DeepMind, one of the industry’s leading AI research groups.
Subramanya earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, Electronics and Communication Engineering from Bangalore University. He later completed a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Washington, specializing in machine learning, large-scale systems, and natural language technologies.
Apple confirmed that Subramanya will oversee teams responsible for foundation models, AI research, and AI safety. Responsibilities previously handled by Giannandrea will be redistributed under Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan and Services Chief Eddy Cue, marking a structural shift in Apple’s AI strategy.
