Apple’s AI brain-drain problem is starting to look less like a one-off and more like a trend, with another wave of notable exits hitting the company’s Siri and machine learning ranks in recent weeks.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has lost Stuart Bowers, one of its most senior Siri executives, to Google’s DeepMind. Bowers reportedly worked directly under Siri head Mike Rockwell, making his departure especially significant for Apple’s voice assistant roadmap and internal leadership continuity.
The shake-up doesn’t stop there. The same report says Apple has also lost four AI researchers: Yinfei Yang, Haoxuan You, Bailin Wang, and Zirui Wang. In a field where top AI talent is fiercely competed for—and where small teams can make outsized differences in model quality, training efficiency, and product execution—multiple research departures in a short time can create real momentum issues.
This latest round follows other high-profile departures reported in late 2025. Apple’s AI leadership structure was reshuffled when John Giannandrea was pushed out and replaced by Amar Subramanya. Around the same period, Apple’s head of UI design, Alan Dye, was poached by Meta. Apple also announced upcoming departures of its general counsel, Kat Adams, and its vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson.
Meanwhile, Apple’s wider product design talent has also been under pressure, with engineers reportedly leaving to join Jony Ive’s io—now acquired by OpenAI as it pursues what many see as a potential “next big device” beyond the smartphone. Gurman reports OpenAI has hired around 40 Apple engineers over roughly the last month alone. Among the notable hires: Matt Theobald, a manufacturing design specialist, and Cyrus Daniel Irani, who led human interface design work. Adding to the narrative, Abidur Chowdhury—credited as the designer of the iPhone Air and considered a rising talent inside Apple—has also left to join an unnamed AI startup.
Bowers’ move to DeepMind stands out for another reason: the work he’s stepping into may overlap with the very technology Apple is expected to lean on. Google’s Gemini models are widely seen as central to Google’s AI strategy, and a specialized version is expected to help enable a revamped Siri experience slated for launch in the coming months. If that timeline holds, losing a top Siri leader right when competition is accelerating—and expectations for a smarter Siri are rising—could be an unwelcome complication.
Taken together, the departures paint a clear picture: Apple is facing intensifying competition for AI engineers, researchers, and product leaders, just as the market is demanding faster progress and more visible AI-driven upgrades across consumer devices.
