---
title: "John Ternus pushes Craig Federighi to accelerate Apple’s AI roadmap"
description: "The CEO's push comes as Apple's Siri AI development has faced a two-year delay and a key executive considers leaving."
url: https://mactoreality.com/john-ternus-pushes-craig-federighi-to-accelerate-apples-ai-roadmap
published: 2026-11-08T16:30:56Z
updated: 2026-11-08T16:30:56Z
author: "Mac to Reality Newsdesk"
category: Rumours
tags: ["Apple Intelligence & Siri","Business & leadership","Software"]
publisher: Mac to Reality
ai_assisted: true
apple_heat_impact: -3
---

# John Ternus pushes Craig Federighi to accelerate Apple’s AI roadmap

*The CEO's push comes as Apple's Siri AI development has faced a two-year delay and a key executive considers leaving.*

**Key points**

- Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly urged software chief Craig Federighi to accelerate the AI roadmap in a recent closed-door meeting.
- Mike Rockwell, vice president of Siri engineering and creator of Vision Pro, is reportedly considering stepping down next year.
- Apple is reportedly experimenting with a new development pipeline that gives engineers 50 per cent more time to code and explore.

Apple CEO John Ternus privately urged software chief Craig Federighi to accelerate the AI roadmap during a meeting in recent weeks, according to [Mark Gurman](https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mzspirjd7k2s). The push follows a two-year delay in Siri AI development that has left Apple perceived as falling behind rivals.

Federighi became Apple’s AI lead after the company dismissed its former AI head last year, [9to5Mac reported](https://9to5mac.com/2026/11/08/john-ternus-pushing-craig-federighi-to-move-faster-software-engineering/), citing sources. His hands-on management style offers limited room for competing ideas, frustrating some team members, and he typically plans only 12 to 18 months ahead — short compared to the years-long roadmaps of hardware engineering. Meanwhile, Mike Rockwell, the vice president of Siri engineering and creator of the Vision Pro, is seriously considering stepping down next year, the report says.

[https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mzspirjd7k2s](https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mzspirjd7k2s)

Apple is also trying a new development pipeline that gives engineers 50 per cent more time for coding and exploration, with less time spent on integration. The exact date of Ternus’s meeting with Federighi is unclear, and it remains unknown what specific changes will result from the CEO’s push. As [Mac to Reality noted earlier](https://mactoreality.com/john-ternus-prioritizes-design-with-steve-jobs-like-involvement-as-ceo), Ternus has taken a more hands-on approach since becoming CEO.

## Sources

- [Mark Gurman: NEW in Power On: Apple CEO John Ternus held a closed-door meeting with Craig Federighi in the last few weeks, pushing his software chief to accelerate Apple’s…](https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mzspirjd7k2s)
- [9to5Mac: Report: John Ternus pushing Craig Federighi to speed up Apple software engineering](https://9to5mac.com/2026/11/08/john-ternus-pushing-craig-federighi-to-move-faster-software-engineering/)

*This report was written by the Mac to Reality newsdesk with AI assistance from the sources listed above, under the editorial policy at https://mactoreality.com/editorial-policy.*