Apple veteran Phil Schiller has stepped down from his roles overseeing the App Store and the company’s product events, according to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman.
The change comes ahead of Apple’s September 9 event, where the company will introduce a foldable iPhone and new Apple Watches. The 66-year-old executive made the change in recent days but will remain at Apple as an Apple Fellow and told employees that he will work on unspecified initiatives.
Schiller previously served as Apple’s senior vice president of marketing before leaving that role in 2020. During his career at Apple, he was a key decision-maker on products including the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac models. He also worked alongside Steve Jobs on the creation of the App Store.
App Store responsibilities move to Eddy Cue
Apple is moving responsibility for the App Store to its Services division, led by Eddy Cue. Cue previously oversaw the App Store until 2015, when the responsibility was given to Schiller and the marketing department.
Two years ago, Schiller divided App Store responsibilities between Carson Oliver and Ann Thai. Under the new structure:
- Carson Oliver will lead the App Store’s day-to-day operations and report directly to Eddy Cue.
- Ann Thai will report to Oliver and continue handling tools related to app distribution and third-party marketplaces.
- Alex Rofman, head of Apple Arcade, will report to Oliver.
- Apple Arcade will now fall under Cue’s wider responsibilities.
Schiller’s App Store responsibilities included decisions on approving or rejecting controversial apps, working with software developers, and implementing App Store policies and revenue-sharing rates in response to lawsuits and new regulations.
The App Store is estimated to generate more than $30 billion a year. Schiller also had to contend with Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. in a long-running trial over in-app purchases.
Apple product events get a new leader
Schiller continued to lead Apple’s events team after leaving the marketing role in 2020. The team handles functions globally, including the company’s product launches.
Nola Weinstein will take over the events function. She has led it as Schiller’s deputy since 2023 and will report to Kristin Huguet Quayle, Apple’s vice president of communications and public relations. Quayle’s department previously oversaw the events function until around 2019.
Schiller’s change comes as John Ternus assumes the CEO role from Tim Cook on September 1. Cook became CEO after Steve Jobs in 2011 and led Apple for 15 years before becoming executive chairman.
The change also comes as several longtime Apple executives have stepped down, moved to smaller roles or are preparing to leave:
- Apple’s previous general counsel and head of its Pay division are set to depart in October.
- Operations chief Jeff Williams and former hardware chief Dan Riccio have stepped down or moved to smaller roles.
- Finance chief Luca Maestri and Lisa Jackson, head of environment and government affairs, have also stepped down or moved to smaller roles.
Schiller is not leaving Apple as part of the latest change. However, employees believe the move could be a step toward his eventual retirement.