Apple Veteran Phil Schiller Exits App Store Role

Apple veteran Phil Schiller has stepped down from overseeing the App Store and the company’s product events, adding another leadership change just as John Ternus prepares to take over as CEO.

Schiller, 66, will remain at Apple as an Apple Fellow and work on unspecified initiatives, Bloomberg reported Monday (Aug. 31), citing people familiar with the matter. Schiller, who previously served as Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, has been one of the company’s most prominent executives across both the Steve Jobs and Tim Cook eras.

The App Store will move under Apple’s Services organization, led by Eddy Cue. Carson Oliver will oversee the App Store day to day and report directly to Cue, while Ann Thai, who oversees app distribution tools and work involving third-party marketplaces, will report to Oliver.

Schiller’s departure from the role comes as the App Store faces regulatory and commercial pressure. The platform is estimated to generate more than $30 billion annually, according to Bloomberg. Schiller had been a key decision-maker on app approvals, developer relations and changes to App Store policies and revenue-sharing rules amid lawsuits and new regulations.

Schiller is also handing oversight of Apple’s events organization to Nola Weinstein, his deputy since 2023. The change comes days before Apple’s Sept. 9 product event.

The moves coincide with a broader changing of the guard at Apple. As PYMNTS previously reported, Ternus becomes CEO Sept. 1, succeeding Cook, who is moving to executive chairman after 15 years as chief executive. Johny Srouji has become chief hardware officer, taking over the hardware engineering organization previously led by Ternus.

Other longtime leaders are also departing or reducing their roles. Apple Pay chief Jennifer Bailey is retiring in October after nearly 24 years at Apple, while former finance chief Luca Maestri has moved into a smaller role. Lisa Jackson stepped down earlier this year, and general counsel Kate Adams is also retiring.

For Ternus, the turnover means the CEO transition is becoming a broader reshaping of the leadership team rather than simply a change at the top.