“To not do so would leave us behind”, Tim Cook tells Apple employees to embrace AI

AI is Apple’s next internet-level shift
Cook described AI as “as big or bigger” than the internet, smartphones, and cloud computing. He told staff: “Apple must do this. Apple will do this. This is ours to grab.” Cook urged employees to integrate AI into their work, warning that failure to do so would risk Apple being “left behind.”

Playing catch-up, with confidence
Acknowledging that Apple is late to AI compared to Google or OpenAI, Cook reminded staff of Apple’s history of redefining categories after others. “There was a PC before the Mac; there was a smartphone before the iPhone,” he said, signalling belief that Apple could reshape AI in its own way.

Rebuilding Siri from scratch
Senior VP Craig Federighi revealed Apple scrapped its hybrid Siri plan in favour of a full rebuild powered by large language models. Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell is leading the effort, described as Apple’s most important current project. The revamp aims to make Siri competitive in the AI assistant race.

Hiring and hardware muscle
Apple has added 12,000 employees in the past year, with 40% in research and development. Bloomberg reports the company is designing Baltra, an AI-focused cloud-computing chip, and building a dedicated AI server facility in Houston. Cook positioned these moves as key to scaling Apple’s AI ambitions.

Regulatory and political headwinds
Cook also warned of potential challenges, including stricter regulations and tariffs under a Trump administration, which could cost Apple $1.1 billion per quarter. He argued that some rules compromise privacy and user experience. Despite this, he closed on an optimistic note: “I’ve never felt so much excitement and so much energy before as right now.”