Two top Apple executives reportedly have different opinions on how the company should move forward with artificial intelligence (AI). This disagreement may be one of the reasons Apple is lagging behind rivals like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI in the fast-growing AI race.
The Disagreement
According to a report from The Information, Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, and Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services, have opposing views on AI acquisitions.
- Eddy Cue’s stance: Cue believes Apple should make a big acquisition in the AI sector, similar to how the company bought Beats in 2014. He feels purchasing an AI startup would give Apple quick access to advanced technology and skilled talent. Reportedly, Cue even suggested startups like Perplexity AI and Mistral as possible targets.
- Craig Federighi’s stance: Federighi disagrees and believes Apple should develop its AI technology internally instead of spending billions on acquisitions. He reportedly feels that integration challenges and cultural differences make large acquisitions risky.
Apple’s AI Struggles
Apple’s progress in AI has been slow compared to competitors. While rivals have launched consumer-facing AI products, Apple has taken a cautious approach. The company is said to be worried about whether acquiring startups would truly add value, especially given the difficulties of merging external teams into Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem.
Historically, Apple avoids huge acquisitions. Apart from the Beats deal in 2014 and the Intel modem unit purchase in 2019, Apple has stayed away from billion-dollar takeovers.
The Bigger Picture
Meanwhile, competitors like Meta, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are aggressively investing in AI, hiring talent, and scaling products quickly. This raises questions about whether Apple’s cautious strategy will help it maintain its reputation for innovation, or whether it risks falling further behind.
Apple is expected to release a revamped version of Siri with deeper AI integration next year. However, the internal disagreement between its senior leaders shows that the company is still debating how best to catch up in the AI space.
