Siri getting a new boss

Apple has shifted oversight of its Siri voice-assistant team to Craig Federighi, putting the product in the hands of the technology giant’s top software engineer as it contends with rising competition from rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon.

The decision moves control of Siri away from another senior vice president, Eddy Cue, who had overseen it since 2012.

It takes place as Siri is increasingly integrated into Apple’s personal computer and smartphone operating systems, which Federighi also manages.

It also comes amid concerns that Siri, which popularized voice assistants when Apple introduce it in 2011, has lost ground to rivals including Alphabet’s Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa as those competitors opened up to third-party apps.

The new role was noted on Friday in a change to Federighi’s biography on Apple’s Web site. An Apple spokeswoman confirmed the change but declined to comment further.

Federighi, who like Cue reports to Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, had a stint at Apple in the 1990s, then rejoined in 2009 to oversee engineering for the Mac operating system.

In 2012 he gained responsibility for its iOS smartphone software as well, and in that role has been deeply involved with Siri already.

He takes on full oversight of Siri as Apple is on the cusp of releasing its f irst smart speaker, the HomePod, in December. Its success will largely hinge on Siri’s integration in the device and ability to perform tasks, including playing specific songs on command.

Apple closed little changed on Friday, at $164.05.