Gurman's tip-off
According to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, Mike Rockwell, the executive who led development of the Vision Pro headset and who now oversees the new Siri AI project, is reportedly still seriously considering the idea of leaving his post. The source indicates that he could leave the vice presidency of Siri engineering as early as next year, or even exit Apple entirely. This is information attributed to a journalistic tip-off, not an official company announcement.
Why the departure would be a problem
What makes the matter significant is the delay accumulated by the new Siri: according to the material, the launch arrived two years late. Rockwell's role in this process means that his departure is described as a significant loss for Apple. The text does not quantify the impact or offer technical details on the causes of the delay, so the assessment remains a consideration attributed to the source and not a measured fact.
If Rockwell left the post or moved to other internal functions, according to Gurman a larger part of the work would pass to two executives: Ammar Subramanya, who joined Apple last year from Google to strengthen artificial intelligence efforts, and Sebastiano Marino, identified as Craig Federighi's deputy. The material specifies that the team led by Marino is mainly concerned with integrating artificial intelligence technologies into the iOS system.
Software leadership succession
The text reports that some figures inside Apple see Marino as a possible future head of software engineering in place of Federighi, also because of a more favorable attitude toward AI development. However, this is presented as an internal perception, not as a company decision. Gurman adds that the actual start of the succession process is still far off: Federighi firmly retains control of the sector, has reportedly not made preparing a successor a central focus, and has not defined a clear succession plan.
It follows, according to the account, that potential candidates have little room to compete for the role. Federighi has led software engineering for more than ten years and, again according to the material, nothing indicates that he intends to leave in the coming years, unlike what other Apple executives have done.
What remains to be verified
The news rests on a single journalistic source and on conditional wording: Rockwell is considering, could leave, the work could be redistributed. There are no official confirmations from Apple, nor a certain date for any changeover. It therefore remains to be clarified what Rockwell's actual decision will be, the final organizational chart of the Siri AI project, and any formal start of the succession to Federighi.
