Siri’s Breakdown, Lawsuits, and the AI/ML Mess Behind Apple’s Shake-Up

[madmax]

Apple’s Siri overhaul was supposed to be its redemption moment. Instead, it became a major embarrassment.
When Craig Federighi tested the updated version weeks before launch, key features didn’t work — forcing Apple to delay the release indefinitely. That delay sparked class-action lawsuits from customers who bought the iPhone 16 expecting a next-gen AI assistant.

Meanwhile, Apple had reportedly already sidelined Giannandrea, handing Siri to Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell and stripping away robotics efforts from his control.

Internally, morale sank so low that employees mockingly referred to the division as “AI/MLess.”
Many researchers left for competitors — OpenAI, Google, Meta — as Apple struggled to keep pace with the data-rich, cloud-heavy models dominating the industry.

[Nahid Hossen]

Siri’s technical struggles highlight how far Apple has fallen behind in AI.