Tom Gruber, one of the original Siri co-founders, has departed Apple, where he was recently the head of Siri’s Advanced Development group, according to The Information. The company’s head of search, Vipul Ved Prakash, has also left the tech giant.
An Apple spokeswoman confirmed both departures to The Information. Gruber is retiring and will reportedly be pursuing personal interests in photography and ocean conservation, said people.
Last week it was announced that John Giannandrea, the former Google artificial intelligence research and search chief who joined Apple in April, will take over the Machine Learning and AI Strategy group.
Gruber, along with Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer, cofounded Siri Inc, the company which created the original Siri app and which Apple purchased in 2010 for $200 million. Siri was introduced in the iPhone 4s in 2011.
