Phil Schiller, another prominent name from the Apple fold, is stepping down from his role leading the App store and product events, Bloomberg reported citing sources. The 66-year-old, who was Apple's senior vice president of marketing till 2020, put his papers in recently, they added.
While there is no official word, the speculation comes ahead of CEO Tim Cook handing over the tech giant's reigns to John Ternus on Tuesday. Cook ran Apple for 15 years, since 2011 after taking over from founder Steve Jobs. He will become executive chairman.
A spokesperson for Apple declined to comment, the report said.
Phil Schiller was instrumental in introducing key products like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac models, and he played a major role in the creation of the App Store.
Schiller's departure is seen as a significant step towards his eventual retirement, amidst a series of executive transitions within Apple as Tim Cook hands over leadership to John Ternus.
Eddy Cue will take over responsibility for the App Store, with Carson Oliver managing day-to-day operations; this marks a shift back to Cue, who previously oversaw the platform.
After stepping down, Tim Cook will serve as executive chairman, focusing on strategic relationships, especially with governments, while John Ternus takes over day-to-day operations.
Yes, Ternus, known for his engineering background, may emphasize design and product development, potentially leading to significant shifts in Apple's product strategies.
Over his career at Apple, Schiller was known for introducing many of the company’s most important products and being a key decision maker on a number of new devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod and many Mac models. Alongside Jobs, he also led the creation of the App Store.
While he is dropping his last two major responsibilities, Schiller is remaining at the company with his Apple Fellow title and told employees that he’ll be working on unspecified initiatives, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the change hasn’t been announced.
For Schiller, the recent App Store role went far beyond overseeing a platform that’s estimated to generate more than $30 billion a year. He was the primary decision maker on approving or rejecting controversial apps and dealing with software developers, the report noted.
He also led the charge on implementing new App Store policies and revenue share rates in response to lawsuits and new regulations. And he had to contend with Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. in a long-running trial over in-app purchases, it added.
Beyond the App Store, Schiller also continued to lead Apple’s events team after leaving the marketing role in 2020. That group is responsible for functions globally, including the company’s product launches.
Schiller’s job change, employees believe, is a big step toward the executive ultimately retiring, as per the report. Further, it underscores one of the biggest challenges facing Ternus as CEO — working around a slew of departures by veteran leaders at the company.
A number of key executives have already left or are preparing to go. That includes Apple’s previous general counsel and the head of its Pay division, who are both set to depart in October, Bloomberg News has reported.
