Why Apple’s Siri Delay Signals an Opportunity for AI Startups in 2025

At WWDC 2025 , Apple Inc. took the stage to unveil its long-awaited leap into artificial intelligence, introducing the world to Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered features designed to modernize Siri, personalize user experiences, and catch up to the likes of ChatGPT’s conversational fluency. Yet amid the sleek demos and confident branding, one question echoed across the tech landscape: Why has Apple still not cracked AI the way OpenAI, Meta, or even smaller players have? While the company’s AI strategy shows signs of life thanks to partnerships with OpenAI and bold claims around privacy-first absence of groundbreaking, native innovation left many developers and analysts underwhelmed. This hesitation, some argue, isn’t a setback. It’s a signal of opportunity. As Apple opens its AI doors to developers, the delay in truly autonomous Siri or robotaxi systems presents a window for AI startups to step in, innovate faster, and build the next generation of AI-driven products that ...