Here's the thing about Siri: everyone knows it's been underwhelming for years. But on Tuesday, Gene Munster from Deepwater Asset Management suggested that Apple Inc. (AAPL) might have just found the fix. The company's decision to partner with Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) and use Google Gemini instead of OpenAI's ChatGPT to reinvent Siri could actually work.

Why Gemini Over ChatGPT?

Munster posted on X that "Odds of new Siri succeeding just went up," giving CEO Tim Cook credit for turning what's been a persistent weakness into a potential growth driver for both devices and services. His verdict? "Nice job, Tim Cook."

The key insight here is what the shift away from OpenAI signals. According to Munster, Apple moving away from GPT and reducing its reliance on OpenAI in favor of Google's Gemini shows the company is getting serious about fixing Apple Intelligence. Sure, GPT is powerful and capable, but Apple apparently believes it needs a different approach to achieve what it's aiming for.

Not everyone's thrilled about the partnership. Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who also runs xAI, criticized the deal and warned that it could hand Google excessive influence given its existing control over the Android operating system and Chrome browser.

New Leadership, New Direction

The Gemini partnership isn't happening in isolation. Apple recently shook up its AI leadership in a meaningful way. John Giannandrea, who had led Apple's AI efforts since 2018, announced in December 2025 that he would step down into an advisory role before retiring in 2026.

Taking over is Amar Subramanya, a former AI executive at both Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Google who actually contributed to building the Gemini Assistant. That's not a coincidence. When you're partnering with Google on AI and hiring someone who helped build Google's AI assistant, it suggests a deliberate strategic direction rather than just a vendor swap.

What Analysts Are Saying

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called the Gemini partnership a top catalyst for Apple's AI strategy over the weekend. He's predicting this could evolve into an exclusive AI partnership, which would represent a major commitment from both companies.

The competitive landscape makes this partnership particularly interesting. Alphabet recently surpassed Apple in market capitalization for the first time since 2019. Alphabet now sits at approximately $4.06 trillion compared to Apple's roughly $3.84 trillion. When you're no longer the biggest company by market cap, making bold moves to strengthen your AI capabilities starts to feel more urgent.

Market Reaction

On Tuesday, Apple shares closed up 0.31% at $261.05, then dipped slightly to $260.85 in after-hours trading. The stock movement was modest, but the strategic implications are significant.

Meanwhile, Alphabet's Class A shares (GOOG) rose 1.24% during regular trading and gained another 0.38% after hours. Class C shares climbed 1.11% during the session with an additional 0.47% gain after hours.

Despite near-term pressure, Apple maintains a strong medium and long-term outlook according to market analysis. The company is betting that getting Siri right, finally, could unlock growth in both hardware and services. With Google's Gemini technology and new leadership from someone who helped build it, Apple might actually have the pieces in place to make that happen.