202503211613 - Siri

The Genesis of Siri: 2010–2012

The story begins with Siri, a voice assistant born not within Apple’s walls but at 'SRI International', a research institute. In 2007, & Adam Cheyer and & Dag Kittlaus, alongside other co-founders, spun Siri out as a startup, aiming to revolutionize personal assistance with natural language processing. By 2010, their creation caught Apple’s eye, and the company acquired 'Siri Inc.' for an undisclosed sum, estimated between $200 million and $250 million. Cheyer and Kittlaus joined Apple, tasked with integrating Siri into its ecosystem.

The acquisition aligned with Apple’s push into mobile innovation under & Scott Forstall, then Senior Vice President of iOS Software. Siri debuted on the iPhone 4S in October 2011, marketed as a groundbreaking feature. But the transition wasn’t seamless—Cheyer and Kittlaus, accustomed to startup agility, clashed with Apple’s rigid culture. By 2012, both had departed, disillusioned with the slow pace and limited vision for Siri’s future. Cheyer later hinted at frustrations over control, while Kittlaus spoke of writing a novel, signaling a shift away from corporate tech.