Apple steals Amazon A9’s CEO so you can stop yelling at Siri

Pretty soon, Siri may finally live up to all of those cute TV ads.

Apple has reportedly hired Bill Stasior — the founder and chief executive Amazon’s A9 search division — to head up its Siri division, according to All Things Digital. If true, the news is a sign that Siri may soon receive some intriguing search innovations to make it a smarter personal assistant. It sounds similar to what Google is doing with Google Now, its new Android voice search feature that can learn your habits.

We’ve asked both Amazon and Apple for comment on the news, and will update if we hear back.

A9 is responsible for all of Amazon’s search technology and search ads, which makes Stasior well suited to tame Siri. (And when last have you had trouble finding anything at Amazon?) Previously, Stasior served as the director of advanced development at AltaVista, according to his resume.

Siri was the highlight of Apple’s iPhone 4S, and it helped deflect attention away from the fact that it looked exactly the same as the iPhone 4. But while Apple marketed Siri as a sort of wise digital self-help guru, for many consumers it’s seemed more like a digital dunce. Now that Google has unveiled its plan to compete with Google Now, Apple has to work hard to smooth out Siri’s inaccuracies and deliver new voice-powered innovations.