Roku Hires Apple’s Chief Siri Architect For Software Role

(Bloomberg) -- Roku Inc. has hired a Siri executive at Apple Inc. to lead advanced technology development.

Brian Pinkerton has joined the San Jose, California-based maker of TV set-top-boxes and software where he will focus on “technical innovation and strategic software development across the platform,” the company said on Tuesday. His work will be broader than voice control, which was his specialty at Apple, where he was the chief architect of Siri until November, according to his LinkedIn page. Pinkerton was also previously chief technology officer for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

Roku sells several streaming video players to access video content as well as sound bars, but the company has increasingly focused on expanding its software platform and the Roku Channel streaming service. It has also been pushing for its software to be built into lower-end TVs, ceding the high-end to software like LG Electronics Inc.’s webOS and Android TV from Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

Roku recently started rolling out support for Apple’s AirPlay streaming and HomeKit smart home protocols to its TV devices. Last year, Roku became one of the first platforms to feature the Apple TV+ subscription service.

Roku shares were down 2.6% at 3:44 p.m. in New York. They have more than doubled this year while Apple has gained 67%.

(Updates with shares in final paragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected the location of Roku headquarters.)

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