As Apple scrambles to push out its long-awaited Siri upgrade with iOS 19, a new report says the reason the company is lagging behind in AI isn’t bad tech or weak leadership — it’s budgeting.
According to the New York Times, Apple’s struggles with Siri and its broader “Apple Intelligence” plans can be traced back to a decision made in 2023 by then-CFO Luca Maestri, who allegedly slashed a major chunk of the AI team’s GPU budget — right after Tim Cook had apparently approved it.
Tim said yes, CFO said nope
In 2023, Apple’s AI engineers reportedly pitched a plan to double their GPU budget, which would’ve helped them ramp up large-scale AI training and development. According to the report, Tim Cook gave it the green light, but Maestri later cut the proposed figure in half, telling the team to “be more efficient” with the hardware they already had.
As a result, Apple’s AI team had to negotiate access to external data centers from Google and Amazon, and could only partially use Nvidia GPUs — which are in crazy demand across the entire industry.
Communication breakdown?
It’s unclear why Maestri overruled Cook’s approval, but the report hints at communication issues within Apple’s leadership. Some insiders claim Cook has been hesitant to give direct instructions to product teams — which only adds to the confusion.
Apple is now paying the price for what might have been a "missed the moment" situation. Back in 2023, the AI race hadn’t exploded the way it has today. Still, hindsight's 20/20.
The cleanup crew steps in
The story doesn’t end with finger-pointing, though. Apple has since reshuffled key roles. AI chief John Giannandrea is out, and Mike Rockwell — who led the Apple Vision Pro project — is now steering the AI ship under Craig Federighi.
Also worth watching is Kim Vorrath, a long-time Apple exec known internally as a “fixer.” She quietly joined the Apple Intelligence team earlier this year — and insiders believe she’s there to get things back on track.
As for Maestri, he’s stepping down. And if Apple manages to revive its AI efforts, Federighi, Rockwell, and Vorrath might just be the trio credited with turning things around.
