Apple is experiencing one of its most complicated aspects of its recent history surrounding artificial intelligenceWhat was meant to be a major leap forward for Siri and the company's ecosystem has ended up exposing technical shortcomings, internal tensions, and a tarnished image that is noticeable both among users and in the financial markets.
The project baptized as Apple IntelligencePresented as the cornerstone of a new era for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, it has been met with criticism for its performance and doubts about Apple's ability to keep pace with giants like Microsoft, Nvidia, and alliances like the one with Samsung and OpenAIIn a matter of weeks, the tech company has strung together the departure of four top-level executives, a drop of nearly 13% in the stock market and an increasingly intense debate about its role in the global race for AI, also in Spain and the rest of Europe.
Apple Intelligence: From Big Announcement to Focus of Criticism
Apple Intelligence was born with the intention of inject advanced generative AI features throughout the Apple ecosystem And, incidentally, relaunch Siri to bring it up to par with—or even ahead of—rival assistants. The promise sounded especially appealing in Europe, where many users were finally hoping for a significant leap forward in the assistant's everyday usefulness.
However, internal testing with iOS 18.4 They were the first serious warning. Software manager Craig Federighi found on his own iPhone that several of the flagship features didn't meet the levels of reliability and polish that the company typically demands before releasing a product. This clash with the image of perfectionism that Apple has cultivated for years set off alarm bells in Cupertino.
The internal disappointment soon spilled over into the streets. Instead of noticing a clear improvement, many users began to detect a Siri's more erratic behaviorwith imprecise responses, flaws in the AI-generated summaries, and highly inconsistent performance in the new "smart" tools. For a company that has always marketed itself as synonymous with stability and simplicity, the contrast was particularly striking.
This situation was compounded by the legal front. Several groups pushed for class action lawsuits for potentially misleading advertisingThis was because Apple Intelligence's actual capabilities fell far short of what the company had promised in presentations and campaigns. Even the BBC filed a formal complaint after detecting glaring errors in the platform's automated summaries, further damaging the project's reputation.
In the media, the criticism multiplied. Analysts such as Arun Maini They have gone so far as to place Apple Intelligence among the company's most glaring missteps, suggesting that the system has a guaranteed place on the list of Apple's failures. This perception has taken hold strongly within much of the tech community, including in Europe.
Stock market crash and loss of market share compared to other AI giants
Apple Intelligence's stumble hasn't remained a mere technical anecdote. In the financial markets, the impact has been clear: in a year in which the technology sector as a whole continued to rise, Apple closed the year with an approximate 13% drop in the value of its shares.This behavior contrasts with the positive evolution of other actors in the sector.
Meanwhile, companies like Nvidia and Microsoft They have taken advantage of the rise of artificial intelligence to strengthen their position and surpass Apple in market capitalization, something unusual after decades in which the Cupertino firm moved without too much difficulty at the top of the ranking of technology giants.
The developers conference WWDC 2025The event, which was also closely followed in Spain and the rest of Europe, was seen as the perfect opportunity to try to rectify the situation. However, the event ultimately left analysts and investors feeling underwhelmed: there was a perceived lack of truly groundbreaking announcements regarding AI and no new developments powerful enough to dispel doubts about Apple Intelligence.
The reaction was swift. Following the event, the company's stock suffered. a further decline of around 5%This fuels the feeling that Apple is no longer setting the pace in the race for artificial intelligence and that, in this area, the focus has clearly shifted to other players.
In a context where AI is shaping much of the global technological and economic agenda, the impression among some European investors is that Apple has reacted late and with too much caution compared to the aggressiveness and speed with which its rivals move in the deployment of latest generation models.
The departure of four key executives exacerbates the sense of crisis
As external pressure mounted, the company was shaken by an unusual internal movement: the almost simultaneous departure of four top-level executivesAll of them have direct influence in areas highly sensitive to Apple's future. In a company known precisely for the stability of its leadership, the concentration of changes has attracted considerable attention.
The first to announce his departure was John giannandrea, top official responsible for artificial intelligence projects since 2018. His role was closely linked to the strategy that was supposed to put Apple at the forefront of generative AI, but the accumulated failures of the project and the inability to achieve the set objectives ended up eroding the confidence of management, including Tim Cook himself.
The design area has also been directly affected. alan dye, responsible for the company's interface design for approximately a decade, decided to leave Apple to join MetaUnder his leadership, the controversial “Liquid Glass” visual style of iOS 26 was introduced, much discussed among advanced users and developers, and its departure has been associated both with those criticisms and with the feeling that the visual integration of the new AI features did not quite come together.
The third relevant march is that of Lisa JacksonVice President for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, after a decade with the company and maintaining a lower profile in recent years, has confirmed that she will leave her post at the beginning of 2026, nearing retirement. Her departure comes at a particularly sensitive time regarding sustainability and climate regulation, issues that are increasingly prominent on the European Union's agenda.
The fourth proper name is that of Kate AdamsApple's general counsel since 2017, has announced her retirement at the end of 2026, with her position to be filled by [name missing]. Jennifer Newstead, from Meta, who will assume the senior vice-presidency of General Council and Government Affairs from March 2026. The change comes at a time of strong regulatory scrutiny on AI, privacy and competition, especially intense in Brussels.
Overall, this concentrated rotation of high-level positions This reinforces the perception that Apple is going through a phase of profound reorganization, marked both by the Apple Intelligence setback and by an evident generational shift in part of its executive structure.
Brain drain in AI, robotics and hardware
Beyond the names at the top, the Apple Intelligence case has exposed a fundamental problem: sustained loss of talent specializing in artificial intelligence and related areas. In recent months, several key professionals have opted to move to competitors who are moving faster in the deployment of generative AI.
Among the engineers who have left the company are Ruoming Pang, Tom Gunter and Frank ChuAll of them are now at Meta, attracted by more aggressive compensation packages and the feeling of working on cutting-edge projects. This list is further joined by... Jian Zhang, who led a team focused on robotics with AI and who has also left Apple for the same company.
OpenAI, another of the major players at the moment, has taken advantage of the context to capture specialists linked to hardware development and the integration between chips and artificial intelligence, an area in which Apple had tried to differentiate itself with its own processors and a strategy of vertical control over device design.
Meanwhile, historical figures such as Jeff Williams (director of operations) or Luca Maestri (CFOs) have begun the process of leaving or have moved into less public-facing roles, partly due to career transitions and age. While not all of these departures are directly linked to the failure of Apple Intelligence, the common thread points to a period of intense change in the internal structure.
The magnitude of this talent drain has forced the company to implement specific plans to strengthen recruitment and retentionThe human resources department has been instructed to improve the conditions of profiles considered critical and to launch campaigns to attract new AI specialists, both in the United States and in Europe, where the market for engineers in this field is becoming increasingly competitive.
A turning point in Apple's artificial intelligence strategy
The assessment of this period makes it clear that Apple Intelligence's stumble has gone far beyond a simple unfortunate launch. The project has become a catalyst for internal tensions, external doubts and stock market instabilityforcing the company to completely overhaul its artificial intelligence roadmap.
For the European market, where the regulation on data, algorithmic transparency and ethical use of AI As regulations become increasingly strict, Apple is forced to juggle several things at once: maintaining its discourse of defending privacy and controlling the user experience, while offering AI capabilities comparable to those of rivals that operate with much more aggressive data usage models.
The coming years will be key to determining whether the company is able to steer Apple Intelligence towards a more mature, reliable version that is aligned with the regulatory requirements of the European Union, so that it can regain the trust of users, developers, and investors in markets such as Spain, Germany, France or Italy.
Everything suggests that Apple is going through a complex transition phase in which it must demonstrate that it can rethink its commitment to artificial intelligence Without losing the traits that have historically characterized it, while managing the departure of key executives, it tries to stop the brain drain to competitors like Meta and OpenAI and faces the growing pressure from markets that no longer take it for granted that it will continue to lead the next great technological wave.
