Several big shots in Cupertino are getting a career change for the holidays.
In the last seven days, there has been extraordinary turnover among Apple‘s top ranks, from its head of artificial intelligence to its top lawyer.
CEO Tim Cook now has two fewer direct reports than he did before Thanksgiving.
The executive who designed the software for the Apple Vision Pro also bounced and is heading to Meta to do the same thing for AI glasses in Menlo Park.
As if last week’s departures weren’t enough, there was another potential exit over the weekend. Senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji told Cook he wanted out soon, according to Bloomberg.
But any drama seems to have passed, with Srouji telling his staff Monday morning in a memo seen by CNBC that he isn’t planning to leave Apple any time soon.
Srouji is the chip design guru who kicked Intel while it was down and made in-house chips for Mac that performed a lot better, leading to a healthy surge in sales. Srouji is essentially the Jony Ive of chip design, a singular talent, and it is tough to imagine him leaving Apple.
An Apple spokesperson provided no comment on Srouji or any of the recently departed executives.
There are multiple ways to read into all the changes at the top of a company known for keeping a steady leadership team while producing innovative and industry-leading products.
Apple stayed the course while the tech world changed around it in just three short years, as the entire industry has made a massive pivot to AI.
Read more CNBC tech news
So it was no surprise AI chief John Giannandrea was out last week. It was on him to deliver an innovative AI experience on the iPhone. Instead, Apple had to admit it couldn’t launch the supercharged version of Siri it had been advertising for months.
Perhaps the new strategy of partnering with an established AI leader such as Google or Anthropic will make up for all of it, but the pressure is enormous for Apple to get it right after the flop this year.
Getting the AI launch right is important for other products as well.
If Apple isn’t going to charge for its AI system, then using it as a selling point for new hardware is its best bet to show it can make some cash.
There are already hints that 2026 is going to be a monumental year.
Some new, rumored AI product categories are expected, such as AI glasses similar to what Meta sells and a tablet for controlling all your smart home appliances.
Apple will also turn 50 on April 1 next year, and it’s expected to launch its first-ever foldable iPhone. Plus, there are more challenges ahead with a looming antitrust trial and whether Apple can maintain its truce with President Donald Trump.
Taken together, perhaps the shakeups were necessary, especially regarding AI.
It looks like next year will show if Apple got it right.