Siri is no longer the assistant we knew in its early days—a smart assistant that was ahead of its time—for it has stagnated while the world around it has accelerated. Today, amidst talk of injecting a new "brain"—Gemini—into Siri’s body, Apple appears to be rewriting the rules of the game, even if it means enlisting intelligence from outside its own walls. This move may seem at odds with the company’s traditional strategy, yet it raises a question that is both simple and profound: Would Steve Jobs have rejected this deal, or would he have embraced it? This is precisely what we will explore in this article, as we examine the partnership between Google and Apple regarding Gemini and Siri through the lens of Steve Jobs himself.
**The Google-Apple Deal**
**Gemini and Siri – Source: AI**
Social media platforms and tech news sites have recently been abuzz with a wave of scathing criticism directed at Apple, following its tacit admission that the "new" Siri will be powered by Google’s Gemini AI model. Many believe that the company has perhaps capitulated—losing its very identity in the process—and that Steve Jobs would never have allowed such a deal to take place. However, if we were to step into a time machine and view the history of the iPhone maker through an impartial lens, we would immediately discover that these critics fundamentally misunderstand Jobs’s philosophy. The shocking truth is that Apple has never been a company that builds everything from scratch; indeed, Jobs himself was the "king of outsourcing" when it came to saving the company. Read also: Apple and Siri: Administrative Chaos and Technical Stumbling Blocks Hinder AI Development
Lessons from the Past: Apple’s Illegitimate Children
Apple Founder Steve Jobs – Source: Cult of Mac
Those who accuse Apple of weakness for relying on Google forget that Jobs’ greatest successes were built upon technology that was not his own. When the founder returned to Apple in the 1990s, he found the operating system in a deplorable state. What did he do? Did he wait years to build a system from scratch? Of course not; he took the UNIX system (which Apple had not developed) and integrated the company’s software into it, giving us Mac OS X. To this very day, macOS runs on a kernel licensed from "The Open Group." Jobs realized back then that the priority was the final product, not the origin of the code—which is precisely what Tim Cook is doing today with Google’s AI.
Siri Was Not Built by Apple
Apple’s Voice Assistant "Siri" – Source: MacRumors
There is a strange irony: Siri was not an Apple invention. It was acquired from SRI International in 2010. Jobs saw no shame in purchasing a ready-made "brain" and integrating it into the iPhone, provided it offered the user a unique experience. The only difference today is that Apple is licensing the intelligence from Google rather than purchasing it outright—a smart maneuver.
Prioritizing Logic Over Emotion
The Apple-Google Partnership to Integrate Gemini into Siri – Source: ZoneX
Twenty years ago, the relationship between Apple and Google was robust, with Google’s services fully integrated into the early versions of the iPhone. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was even a member of Apple’s Board of Directors. Then came the launch of Android; at that moment, Jobs believed that Apple’s partner had transformed into a formidable rival. Android employed a design centered on touchscreens, gestures, and other features that Jobs felt were lifted directly from iOS. Consequently, the Apple founder felt betrayed and declared war on Google and Android.
Nevertheless, Jobs was also a shrewd businessman who knew when to set his emotions aside. Today, Google pays Apple $20 billion annually to serve as the default search engine. Would Jobs have refused to pay Google a mere $1 billion to secure the world’s best AI model—while generating hundreds of billions in net profits from it? The answer is clear: Jobs loathed defeat. Leveraging Google to deliver the world’s premier voice assistant constitutes a resounding victory, whereas clinging to a failing in-house AI solution represents true defeat.
Read also: Reports Reveal Apple’s Plan to Transform Siri into a Smart, ChatGPT-like Chatbot
The Economics of AI: $1 Billion vs. $56 Billion
Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple — Source: Getty Images
Google invested approximately $56 billion in research and development during 2025, a massive portion of which was allocated to Gemini. Apple—with its characteristic shrewdness—decided to reap the rewards of this colossal investment for a mere $1 billion per year in licensing fees. This is not a failure; it is the deal of the century. Jobs—who revered efficiency and abhorred waste—would have applauded Tim Cook’s decision, which will save billions, allowing Apple’s engineers to focus on what the company truly excels at: designing an unparalleled user experience.
Furthermore, the average user will not ask whether the code originates from Cupertino or Mountain View; they will simply ask, "Does Siri understand me now?" With the integration of Gemini, Siri will no longer be—well—dumb; it will be capable of reading your emails, managing your schedule, and understanding the context of your life—all with complete privacy on Apple’s secure servers.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that true power lies not in owning the technology, but in harnessing it. Apple has not lost the AI race; rather, it has leased the fastest car on the track—emblazoning it with its own logo—to steer us toward a new era for Siri, exactly as Jobs himself would have done.