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Showing posts with label Tim Cook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tim Cook. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2025

The Slow Descent of Apple: Missing the AI Wave Like Microsoft Missed Mobile



The Slow Descent of Apple: Missing the AI Wave Like Microsoft Missed Mobile

In 2025, Apple Still Thinks It Has Time.

Tim Cook walks on stage, smile controlled, shirt immaculately tucked, and talks about "Apple Intelligence" — a term that feels less like the future and more like carefully measured nostalgia. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is already booking flights, summarizing meetings, handling customer service, and editing podcasts. Meta’s open-source Llama is integrated into half the enterprise tools of the Fortune 500. Perplexity AI is now a verb. Elon Musk’s Grok is rewriting Twitter (sorry, X) in real-time. And Microsoft? It owns work.

Apple has been here before — the smug incumbent. The innovator-turned-operator. In 2010, it destroyed Nokia. In 2030, it risks becoming Nokia.

The Trajectory: Apple's Five-Year AI Freefall

2025 – The PR AI Year

Apple launches “Apple Intelligence” with GPT-4o-like capabilities… two years too late. It’s sandboxed, locked down, with privacy walls so thick even Siri can’t hear you. Developers yawn. Consumers applaud — for about five minutes. AI enthusiasts keep using ChatGPT. Businesses keep using Copilot.

Stock price holds steady — for now.

2026 – AI Workflows Eat the Ecosystem

AI agents are now automating entire workflows. Gmail replies before you read. Notion writes your blog. Midjourney is built into Canva. Slack bots summarize Zoom meetings and generate project plans. But Apple’s walled garden remains beautiful and dumb. Siri can set a timer. Barely.

Apple announces a $5B acquisition of a boutique AI company. The market shrugs. The iPhone 16 Pro Max still has the best camera — but that’s not where the war is anymore.

Valuation slips below $2.5T.

2027 – Developer Exodus

The App Store becomes irrelevant as developers move to AI-native platforms. Instead of "apps," users interact with fluid AI agents. Mobile interfaces are replaced by conversational and gesture-based models. Apple's old-school OS paradigm feels like an IBM mainframe in the age of Google Docs.

The AI-first browsers (Rabbit, Arc, xAI’s Osmind) make Safari look like Internet Explorer. Apple doubles down on Vision Pro… but the AI layer isn’t there. No one builds for it.

Valuation falls under $2T. Microsoft surpasses Apple — permanently.

2028 – Education and Emerging Markets Pass Apple By

India and Africa leapfrog with $200 AI-native phones from Chinese competitors, powered by open-source LLMs. These devices come with built-in tutors, doctors, farmers’ assistants — all things Apple’s ecosystem doesn’t do, or won’t allow.

Meanwhile, every teenager in the West prefers Meta’s multi-agent creator stack or uses decentralized AI tools that Apple can’t control. The iPhone becomes the Blackberry: corporate, slow, boring.

Valuation hits $1.3T. Samsung, Huawei, and startups like Humane and Rabbit take over global hardware buzz.

2029 – The AI Operating System Era Begins

Open-source AI OS models like RedPajama OS or xAI OS dominate. People talk to their computers now. The device disappears; the agent takes over. Apple’s obsession with hardware margins leaves it with the best physical box and the worst brain.

iPhone sales plateau. Mac sales nosedive. AirPods are still good — but nobody cares. The AI layer runs on top, and Apple’s isn’t invited.

Valuation falls to $900B. It’s officially no longer in the top 5.

2030 – Apple Becomes the New Nokia

By now, AI-native hardware and software is everywhere. “Where were you when it shifted?” becomes a question like “Where were you when the iPhone launched?”

Tim Cook retires. Apple announces a strategic rebrand toward services and privacy infrastructure. The iPhone 18 launches to mild applause.

It’s still elegant. But irrelevant.

Market cap: $600B. It’s 2012 again. But this time, Apple is on the wrong side of history.

The Lesson

Apple’s fall won’t come from bad products. It’ll come from good products in a world that no longer wants products. When intelligence becomes ambient, and computing becomes liquid, ecosystems built on control crumble.

Like Microsoft missed mobile by betting on Windows, Apple may miss AI by betting on iOS.

The future doesn’t run on devices. It runs on intelligence.

And if Apple doesn’t get that — someone else will.

Author’s Note:
The irony? Apple seeded this world. It made computing human. But in clinging to its old playbook — beauty, control, and secrecy — it risks becoming the very relic it once replaced.

Liquid Computing: Naming the Next Era of Intelligence
Liquid Computing: The Future of Human-Tech Symbiosis
AMA With Aravind (Perplexity)
Apple's AI Move?
Why Aravind Srinivas Should Stay at Perplexity: The Path to a Trillion-Dollar Valuation
CEO Material For Apple: A Sundar, A Satya: Aravind Srinivas
Is Tim Cook the Steve Ballmer of Apple? A Cautionary Tale of Missed Tech Waves

Liquid Computing: The Future of Human-Tech Symbiosis
Velocity Money: Crypto, Karma, and the End of Traditional Economics
The Next Decade of Biotech: Convergence, Innovation, and Transformation
Beyond Motion: How Robots Will Redefine The Art Of Movement
ChatGPT For Business: A Workbook
Becoming an AI-First Organization
Quantum Computing: Applications And Implications
Challenges In AI Safety
AI-Era Social Network: Reimagined for Truth, Trust & Transformation

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Wednesday, June 04, 2025

Apple's AI Move?




Apple's AI Evolution: Partnerships, Strategy, and Tim Cook's Vision
In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed the tech landscape, with companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic leading the charge in generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and innovative applications. Apple, long perceived as a cautious player in the AI race, is now making bold moves to integrate advanced AI into its ecosystem. Reports of a partnership with Anthropic, a collaboration with OpenAI, and a broader AI strategy signal a significant shift. But is this Apple finally "getting" AI? And has CEO Tim Cook spotted and addressed a blind spot in the company’s approach? Let’s dive into the details.
Apple and Anthropic: A "Vibe-Coding" Revolution
In May 2025, reports emerged that Apple is teaming up with Anthropic, an AI startup founded by former OpenAI researchers, to develop a groundbreaking “vibe-coding” platform. This initiative integrates Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet model into Apple’s Xcode development environment, aiming to empower programmers with AI-driven tools to write, edit, and test code. The term “vibe-coding” refers to a process where developers use plain language prompts to guide an AI model in generating code, shifting their role from manual coding to overseeing and refining AI outputs. This concept, popularized by former OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, highlights a new frontier in software development.
Initially, Apple is rolling out this AI-enhanced Xcode internally to its engineers, with no firm decision yet on a public launch. This cautious approach aligns with Apple’s history of perfecting technologies before releasing them to developers or consumers. The partnership acknowledges challenges Apple faced with its own AI coding tool, Swift Assist, announced last year but never shipped due to concerns about hallucinations (AI generating incorrect outputs) and potential slowdowns in app development. By leveraging Claude, widely regarded as a top model for coding tasks, Apple is tapping external expertise to bolster its capabilities.
This collaboration is a win for Anthropic, too. Already partnered with Amazon for the Alexa+ project, Anthropic gains visibility and credibility by aligning with a tech giant like Apple. If successful, this “vibe-coding” platform could debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025, potentially transforming how developers build apps for iOS, macOS, and beyond.
Apple and OpenAI: A Landmark Partnership
Apple’s AI ambitions extend beyond Anthropic. In June 2024, at WWDC, CEO Tim Cook unveiled “Apple Intelligence,” a suite of AI-powered features integrated into iPhones, iPads, and Macs. A cornerstone of this strategy is a partnership with OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. This deal brings OpenAI’s GPT-4o model to Apple’s ecosystem, enhancing Siri’s capabilities to handle complex tasks like generating bedtime stories, suggesting room decor, or providing recipe ideas. Users can opt in to send certain queries to ChatGPT, with Apple emphasizing privacy by processing most AI tasks on-device and handling complex requests securely at its data centers.
Unlike traditional revenue models, Bloomberg reported in June 2024 that Apple and OpenAI aren’t currently paying each other, with Apple viewing the exposure for ChatGPT as sufficient value. However, future revenue-sharing agreements are under consideration, potentially mirroring Apple’s approach with search engines, where users could choose from multiple AI providers. This partnership sparked controversy, with Elon Musk, founder of xAI, criticizing it as a potential security risk for user data. Despite this, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed enthusiasm, posting on X in June 2024, “Very happy to be partnering with Apple to integrate ChatGPT into their devices later this year! Think you will really like it.”
Broader AI Alliances: Google and Beyond
Apple’s strategy isn’t exclusive to Anthropic and OpenAI. Reports suggest the company is in talks with Google to integrate its Gemini model as an alternative to ChatGPT, potentially later in 2025. This multi-partner approach mirrors Apple’s Safari browser, which allows users to select their preferred search engine. By diversifying its AI collaborators, Apple aims to offer flexibility, cater to varied user needs, and stay competitive in a crowded field where rivals like Microsoft (partnered with OpenAI since 2019) and Google have advanced rapidly.
Apple’s AI Strategy: A Deliberate Pivot
Apple’s approach to AI has historically been understated, avoiding the “artificial intelligence” label in favor of terms like “machine learning” and, now, “Apple Intelligence.” Since 2017, Apple has embedded neural engines in its chips, powering features like the Vision Pro’s hand-tracking and the Apple Watch’s heart rate alerts. In a February 2024 shareholder meeting, Tim Cook signaled a stronger embrace of generative AI, stating Apple would “break new ground” that year. By June 2024, WWDC delivered, showcasing AI-driven tools for custom emojis, photo retouching, email summaries, and improved Siri interactions—all prioritizing on-device processing for privacy, a hallmark of Cook’s leadership.
Critics once argued Apple lagged behind, caught off-guard by the generative AI frenzy sparked by ChatGPT’s 2022 launch. Internally, Apple raced to catch up, reportedly spending millions daily on LLM development, as noted by The Information in 2023. The shift of Siri and consumer AI responsibilities from AI chief John Giannandrea to software engineering leader Craig Federighi in 2025 underscores a more integrated approach across Apple’s operating systems.
Cook has addressed perceptions of being late to AI. In an October 2024 Wall Street Journal interview, he said, “We’re perfectly fine with not being first. As it turns out, it takes a while to get it really great. It takes a lot of iteration. It takes worrying about every detail.” This philosophy—prioritizing quality over speed—explains Apple’s cautious rollout of Swift Assist and its reliance on partners like Anthropic and OpenAI to refine its offerings.
Has Tim Cook Spotted His Blind Spot?
Was AI a blind spot for Tim Cook? Early on, Apple’s focus on hardware, privacy, and seamless user experiences may have slowed its public AI narrative. While rivals like Google and Microsoft touted AI breakthroughs, Apple worked quietly, embedding machine learning into everyday features. Cook’s 2024 comments to Wired’s Steven Levy dispel the notion of being late: “Back in 2017, we built a neural engine into our products. It was already apparent that AI and machine learning were huge.” He’s also denied rumors of heavy investment in OpenAI or board involvement, emphasizing Apple’s rare approach to external investments.
Cook’s vision now shines through. In a December 2024 Wired interview, he highlighted AI’s potential in healthcare, suggesting Apple’s legacy might be saving lives through health-focused AI. The partnerships with Anthropic and OpenAI, potential Gemini integration, and Apple Intelligence’s rollout reflect a deliberate strategy: leverage internal strengths (privacy, chip design) and external expertise to deliver polished, user-centric AI.
Is Apple Finally "Getting" AI?
Apple isn’t just “getting” AI—it’s redefining it on its own terms. The Anthropic partnership enhances developer tools, potentially revolutionizing app creation. The OpenAI collaboration supercharges Siri and user experiences, while talks with Google signal flexibility. Apple’s focus on privacy, on-device processing, and a vast ecosystem of over two billion active devices positions it uniquely to scale AI.
Challenges remain. AI hallucinations, legal battles over data use (faced by OpenAI), and Google’s rocky “AI Overviews” rollout highlight risks. Apple’s antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department and 15 states, filed in 2024, questions its ecosystem control, potentially complicating AI integrations. Yet, Cook’s steady hand—iterating meticulously, partnering strategically—suggests Apple is not just catching up but aiming to lead.
The Road Ahead
Apple’s AI journey is accelerating. The Anthropic collaboration could debut publicly at WWDC 2025, alongside deeper Apple Intelligence features. Partnerships with OpenAI and potentially Google offer users choice, while internal efforts strengthen Apple’s foundation. Tim Cook has not only spotted any perceived blind spot but is steering Apple to blend AI with its core values: privacy, quality, and user empowerment. As Cook told analysts in May 2025, “We are very excited about the road map, and we are pleased with the progress that we’re making.” For Apple, the AI era isn’t about being first—it’s about being the best.


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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

CEO Material For Apple: A Sundar, A Satya: Aravind Srinivas

Is Tim Cook the Steve Ballmer of Apple? A Cautionary Tale of Missed Tech Waves



CEO material for Apple, either within Apple’s current ranks or from outside, potentially an AI entrepreneur with a stellar rise. The comparison to Sundar Pichai (CEO of Alphabet) and Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) suggests we’re looking for someone with proven leadership, technical expertise, strategic vision, and the ability to drive innovation at a global scale, particularly in technology or AI.

Step 1: Evaluating Talent Within Apple
Based on available information, one prominent executive at Apple is Kevan Parekh, who was named Apple’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective January 1, 2025, succeeding Luca Maestri. Here’s an analysis of his suitability as a potential CEO:
  • Background and Experience:
    • Parekh, aged 52, has been with Apple for 11 years, serving as Vice-President of Financial Planning and Analysis, overseeing critical functions like financial planning, investor relations, and market research. He reports directly to CEO Tim Cook.
    • Prior to Apple, he held senior leadership roles at Thomson Reuters (Vice-President of Finance and Corporate Treasurer) and General Motors, bringing extensive experience in finance and business development.
    • He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago, combining technical and business acumen.
  • Strengths:
    • Deep Apple Knowledge: His decade-long tenure at Apple gives him a profound understanding of the company’s operations, culture, and strategic priorities, which is critical for a CEO role.
    • Financial Expertise: As CFO, he demonstrates the ability to manage Apple’s complex financial operations, a key skill for steering a company with Apple’s market cap (approximately $3 trillion as of 2023).
    • Leadership Endorsement: Tim Cook has praised Parekh’s “intelligence, judgement, and financial expertise,” indicating strong internal support. Luca Maestri also expressed confidence in Parekh’s leadership.
    • Technical Foundation: His engineering background aligns with the profiles of Pichai and Nadella, who both have technical degrees (Pichai: IIT Kharagpur, Stanford; Nadella: Manipal Institute of Technology, University of Wisconsin).
  • Challenges:
    • Limited Public CEO-Style Visibility: Unlike Pichai and Nadella, who held high-profile roles (e.g., Nadella as EVP of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group, Pichai as Google’s product chief) before becoming CEOs, Parekh’s experience is primarily in finance, which may not fully demonstrate the product vision or innovation leadership expected of an Apple CEO.
    • Recent Role Transition: Having just assumed the CFO role in 2025, he may need time to establish a track record in this position before being considered for CEO.
  • CEO Potential: Parekh is a strong candidate due to his deep integration into Apple’s leadership and his technical and financial expertise. However, to be considered “CEO material” in the mold of Pichai or Nadella, he would need to demonstrate broader strategic leadership, particularly in product innovation or market expansion, areas where Apple faces intense competition (e.g., in AI and emerging technologies). His current role as CFO positions him well for future consideration, but he may not yet have the public-facing, transformative leadership profile of Pichai or Nadella.
No other executive at Apple’s senior leadership level are prominently mentioned in the provided sources or recent data as potential CEO candidates. Apple’s leadership team, as listed on their official site, does not highlight additional executives with the visibility or scope of responsibility typically associated with CEO succession.
Step 2: Looking Outside Apple – AI Entrepreneurs
Since the query allows for external candidates, particularly AI entrepreneurs with a “stellar rise,” we can evaluate notable individuals in the AI or tech sector who could theoretically fit Apple’s CEO profile. The ideal candidate would have a track record of scaling innovative technologies, leading high-growth organizations, and navigating complex global markets, similar to Pichai’s role in transforming Google into a cloud and AI leader or Nadella’s pivot of Microsoft toward cloud computing and AI.
A standout candidate is Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, a rapidly growing AI company focused on advanced search and knowledge discovery.
  • Background and Experience:
    • Srinivas is an alumnus of IIT Madras, with a strong academic foundation in computer science. He pursued further studies and worked as a research intern at OpenAI and as a full-time researcher there, as well as at Google and DeepMind, giving him deep expertise in AI and machine learning.
    • He co-founded Perplexity AI, which has grown to a valuation of over $8 billion and serves more than 15 million users, positioning it as a competitor to Google in AI-driven search.
    • Srinivas is also an active angel investor, supporting innovative AI projects globally, showcasing his entrepreneurial vision and network.
  • Strengths:
    • AI Expertise: Srinivas’s experience at OpenAI, Google, and DeepMind places him at the forefront of AI innovation, a critical area for Apple as it seeks to expand its AI capabilities (e.g., Apple Intelligence, Siri enhancements). His work on Perplexity AI demonstrates the ability to build and scale cutting-edge AI technologies.
    • Entrepreneurial Success: Leading Perplexity AI to a multi-billion-dollar valuation in a short time reflects the kind of “stellar rise” the query emphasizes. His ability to challenge established players like Google mirrors the disruptive mindset Apple might need to stay competitive.
    • Youthful Energy and Vision: As a younger leader (likely in his 30s, based on his career trajectory), Srinivas brings a fresh perspective, akin to Pichai and Nadella when they assumed their CEO roles (Pichai was 43 in 2015, Nadella was 46 in 2014).
    • Indian-Origin Alignment: Born and educated in India (IIT Madras), Srinivas shares the cultural and educational background of Pichai and Nadella, which has been noted for fostering resilience, analytical thinking, and adaptability.
  • Challenges:
    • Scale of Leadership: While Perplexity AI is a high-growth startup, it is significantly smaller than Apple (15 million users vs. Apple’s billions). Leading a company with Apple’s scale, global supply chain, and diverse product portfolio (hardware, software, services) requires experience Srinivas has not yet demonstrated.
    • Hardware and Ecosystem Experience: Apple’s CEO must oversee hardware (iPhone, Mac, etc.), software (iOS, macOS), and services (Apple Music, iCloud). Srinivas’s expertise is primarily in software and AI, which could limit his immediate fit for Apple’s broader operational needs.
    • Public Company Experience: Perplexity AI is a private company, and Srinivas has not yet led a publicly traded company, unlike Pichai and Nadella, who climbed the ranks within public tech giants before becoming CEOs.
  • CEO Potential: Srinivas is a compelling external candidate due to his rapid rise in the AI sector and deep technical expertise, which align with Apple’s need to innovate in AI and compete with rivals like Google and Microsoft. However, his lack of experience leading a company of Apple’s scale and complexity makes him a riskier choice compared to an internal candidate like Parekh. To be a viable Apple CEO, he would need to demonstrate broader operational leadership, possibly by scaling Perplexity AI further or taking a senior role at a larger tech firm.
Step 3: Comparison to Pichai and Nadella
  • Sundar Pichai: Rose through Google’s ranks, leading product development for Chrome, Gmail, and Google Drive before becoming CEO of Google (2015) and Alphabet (2019). His technical background (IIT Kharagpur, Stanford) and product innovation made him a natural fit.
  • Satya Nadella: Transformed Microsoft by focusing on cloud computing and AI, leveraging his experience as EVP of the Cloud and Enterprise group. His engineering degree (Manipal) and MBA (Chicago) provided a strong foundation.
  • Kevan Parekh: Matches Pichai and Nadella in technical education (electrical engineering) and business acumen (MBA), with deep Apple experience. Lacks their product innovation track record but has strong financial and operational expertise.
  • Aravind Srinivas: Mirrors Pichai and Nadella’s technical prowess and Indian educational roots (IIT Madras). His AI leadership is cutting-edge, but he lacks the corporate scale experience of Pichai and Nadella at the time of their CEO appointments.
Step 4: Recommendation
  • Internal Candidate: Kevan Parekh is a strong candidate within Apple. His 11-year tenure, direct reporting to Tim Cook, and recent elevation to CFO position him as a credible successor. His financial expertise and deep company knowledge make him a safer choice to lead Apple’s complex operations, though he would need to demonstrate broader strategic vision to fully match the transformative impact of Pichai or Nadella.
  • External Candidate: Aravind Srinivas is a high-potential choice for his AI expertise and entrepreneurial success at Perplexity AI. He represents the “stellar rise” profile, but his lack of experience at Apple’s scale makes him a longer-term prospect. Apple could consider bringing him into a senior role (e.g., leading AI initiatives) to groom him for future leadership.
Final Answer
Within Apple, Kevan Parekh, the new CFO, is a most promising candidate for CEO, given his extensive experience, financial expertise, and endorsement by Tim Cook. Outside Apple, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI, stands out as an AI entrepreneur with a stellar rise, but his limited experience at Apple’s scale makes him a riskier choice. To “save Apple” in the mold of Pichai or Nadella, Parekh is the more immediate fit, while Srinivas could be a visionary pick if Apple prioritizes AI innovation and is willing to invest in his development.

If Apple chooses to go for Srinivas, it might have to buy his company the way Sam Altman bought Jony Ive's company. Considering Perplexity grew fast to being a decacorn, it would not be unwise to buy it for something like 100B, cash and stock. This might be the only way for Apple to catch up in the AI race, which arguably is bigger than crypto, social, mobile, and the Internet itself. Size does not matter. Apple still risks irrelevance within five years if it stays on its current trajectory.




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