Phil Schiller, a well-known leader at Apple who worked closely with Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, has stepped down from running the App Store and Apple's product launch events, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to a Bloomberg report, Schiller gave up these two major tasks but will stay at the company as an "Apple Fellow". He told employees he would work on unnamed projects. However, many workers believe this is a big step toward him finally retiring.
This change happens right before John Ternus takes over as the new chief executive officer on September 1. Tim Cook, who became the boss in 2011 and ran Apple for 15 years, will become the executive chairman.
Phil Schiller stepped down from running the App Store and overseeing Apple's product launch events but will remain with the company as an 'Apple Fellow'.
His role change is viewed as a step toward eventual retirement and coincides with John Ternus taking over as Apple’s new CEO, amid several other veteran leaders departing.
Carson Oliver will now manage the App Store, reporting to Eddy Cue, while Nola Weinstein will oversee Apple's product events.
Schiller played a crucial role in the App Store’s decisions, including app approvals, developer relations, and implementing new policies to address legal issues.
During his career, Schiller was instrumental in launching major products like the iPhone and iPad, and contributed significantly to Apple's marketing strategy and event coordination.
At 66 years old, Phil Schiller is one of the most recognised bosses in Apple's history. During his career, he helped introduce many of Apple’s biggest products. He was Apple’s senior vice president of marketing until 2020.
He was a key decision-maker on new devices such as the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac computers. Working alongside Steve Jobs, he also helped create the App Store.
In his recent job, Schiller did much more than watch over a platform making over $30 billion every year. He decided whether to approve or reject controversial apps and handled relationships with software developers.
Schiller led efforts to implement new App Store rules to address lawsuits and new government regulations. He also dealt with Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, during a long court case over in-app payments.
Schiller's remaining tasks are now being split up. According to the Bloomberg report, the job of running the App Store goes back to the services division led by Eddy Cue. Cue ran the App Store until 2015, when Schiller's team took it over.
Every day, the App Store will now be run by Carson Oliver, who will report directly to Cue. Two years ago, Schiller split the work between Oliver, who watched the App Store, and Ann Thai, who worked on app tools. Now, Thai will report to Oliver. Alex Rofman, the head of Apple Arcade, will also report to Oliver.
Even after leaving his marketing job in 2020, Schiller still led the team putting together Apple’s product launch events. He is now giving that job to Nola Weinstein, his assistant since 2023.
