Apple Hands Siri Responsibilities to Executive Poached From Google

Mr. Giannandrea assumes control of Siri as it tries to fend off rising competition from rivals such as Alphabet Inc.'s Google Assistant and Amazon.com Those voice assistants have outperformed Apple's product in independent tests on its ability to accurately answer questions, forcing the iPhone maker to play catch up in a category it pioneered. Apple officially shifted responsibility for Siri to software chief Craig Federighi last September. It had been overseen by senior vice president Eddy Cue since 2012. Voice-driven virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, powered by artificial-intelligence technology, are gaining popularity by making it simpler for people to perform computing tasks like searching for information, shopping, and switching on lights.