Phil Schiller steps down from App Store leadership at Apple
Phil Schiller, Apple’s longtime App Store leader, has stepped down from the role after overseeing the store since 2015. Bloomberg reported that Schiller will remain at Apple as an Apple Fellow, while Carson Oliver is set to take responsibility for the App Store’s day-to-day operations.
Schiller joined Apple in 1987, apart from a four-year break, and his new Fellow position is reserved for people who have made outstanding technical or leadership contributions. His work in the role has not been specified. Bloomberg reported that people inside Apple view the move as a significant step towards his eventual retirement.
App Store moves into services
Alongside the leadership handover, Apple is moving the App Store from its marketing organisation into the services division led by Eddy Cue. Oliver has spent more than 14 years at Apple and has worked in the App Store division throughout that period.
The organisational change affects a business area that combines software distribution, developer relations and payment policy. Schiller was the executive who shepherded Apple through Epic Games’ legal challenge to the App Store’s in-app fee system. Epic filed its antitrust lawsuit in 2020, alleging that Apple operated an illegal monopoly.
The monopoly claims were ultimately dismissed and the judge largely ruled in Apple’s favour. However, Apple was ordered to let app developers link to external payment options, and the legal dispute remains ongoing. The transfer to the services group therefore comes as the company continues to manage the operational consequences of that ruling.
A broader executive transition
Schiller’s move follows a succession of senior departures as John Ternus takes over as Apple CEO. The scale of the leadership transition is framed by Cook’s 15-year Apple leadership legacy and the management succession now reshaping several of Apple’s major functions.
Chief operating officer Jeff Williams retired in December after 27 years at Apple. The company also announced the retirements of Lisa Jackson, vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, and general counsel Kate Adams in December. Jennifer Bailey, the longtime head of Apple Pay, is due to retire in October after more than 20 years with the company.
Apple also lost Paul Meade, the vice president responsible for the Vision Pro headset, when he left for OpenAI in June. The Vision Pro team has since been downsized, having lost about 100 employees as of two weeks before the report.
What businesses should watch
For developers, partners and organisations that distribute software through Apple’s platforms, the immediate practical issue is not a stated change in App Store rules but a change in operational ownership. Tracking decisions from Oliver’s App Store team and Cue’s services division will help businesses assess how platform, payment and developer processes are managed during Apple’s wider leadership transition.