Apple hits hard blows: AI and Liquid Glass chiefs slam the door

Remaining attractive seems to be quite difficult for Apple, with departures piling up for several months. After the creator of the iPhone Airtwo emblematic figures of the Apple firm are leaving: John Giannandrea, head of AI, and Alan Dye, head of interfaces – and notably behind the Liquid Glass controversy of iOS 26.

Apple renews its managers in charge of AI and software interfaces

Earlier in the week, Apple has made it official the departure of its head of artificial intelligence: John Giannandrea. Officiating as an advisor until spring 2026, he will retire at the start of his sixties.

To replace it, and thus take care ofApple Intelligencewe find Amar Subramanya — a distinguished researcher in AI and machine learning, having previously spent time working for Microsoft and Google. More specifically, he will take on the role of vice-president in charge of AI, and will report to the famous Craig Federighi, head of the software department at Apple.

Note, the departure of John Giannandrea seems to be a more than logical choice, given the setbacks surrounding the development of AI at Apple. Bloomberg also shared in March 2025 that Tim Cook would have “lost confidence in AI head John Giannandrea’s ability to deliver product development”taking away from him in the process managing Siri development.

This Wednesday, the departure of another big head from the American company was confirmed: Alan Dye, head of software interfaces. The latest news was that he made a long appearance at WWDC 2025 to present the major new feature in operating systems: the Liquid Glass design.

In the process, Apple announced last night that Steve Lemay took his place. Tim Cook also reassured by emphasizing that the latter “played an integral role in the design of all of Apple’s major interfaces since 1999”and that he has “always set the bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity”.

Note: Alan Dye resigned from Apple to join another tech giant: Meta. He will lead a new creative studio, which “will bring together design, fashion and technology to define the next generation of our products and experiences” according to Mark Zuckerberg.

These departures mark a profound but controlled transition for Apple, which reacted quickly by announcing experienced replacements. This should allow the transition to breathe a breath of fresh air into the development of artificial intelligence, while guaranteeing continuity on an essential pillar for the company: design.