Phil Schiller has stepped down as head of the App Store and will no longer lead Apple's events organisation, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The executive made this decision in recent days, though he will continue to be part of the company with tasks and initiatives that have not yet been specified.
Schiller will retain his title of Apple Fellow, awarded in 2020, which positions him among the company's historic figures alongside Steve Wozniak, Bill Atkinson and Guy Kawasaki, among others. There is speculation that his decision could be part of a plan for eventual retirement, though there are no details on when this might occur.
This change is part of a broader restructuring at Apple following John Ternus's appointment as CEO in place of Tim Cook. The App Store will now be managed by the Services division led by Eddy Cue, with Carson Oliver as head of the day-to-day management of the platform. Oliver will report directly to Cue, while Ann Thai, who oversees app distribution and third-party stores, and Alex Rofman, who leads Apple Arcade, will report to Oliver.
Nola Weinstein, who served as Schiller's second-in-command, will take on responsibility for Apple's events organisation. This is not Schiller's first significant transition within the company: in 2020 he stepped down from his role as marketing director, a position he had held since 1997, to focus on the App Store and corporate events.
Schiller joined Apple in 1987 and became marketing director in 1997, the year of Steve Jobs's return. Throughout his career, he was instrumental in teams behind key products including iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac. He was also fundamental to the App Store's launch in 2008, taking on its leadership in 2015.
