As John Ternus takes over, Phil Schiller steps down from leading App Store and events

Apple’s App Store and events head, Phil Schiller, has reportedly stepped down, following Tim Cook’s departure from the CEO role and the broader leadership transition underway at Apple, as per a Bloomberg report. Schiller has been with Apple since 1987, standing with the company for decades, apart from a four-year break, and later took charge of the App Store in 2015.

While Schiller is stepping down from his current responsibilities at Apple, he may not exit the company entirely. The report highlighted that he will transition to an Apple Fellow role, which is a senior position given to people who have made significant contributions to the company. Therefore, he will continue to work on several projects, but Apple has not specified exactly what those projects will be.

Must read: ‘I will miss this work in ways I can only begin to imagine’: Tim Cook’s emotional farewell note as Apple CEO

However, people inside Apple reportedly view this move as a transition toward retirement. So, while Schiller will remain an Apple employee, he is moving away from day-to-day executive responsibilities.

Who will replace Phil Schiller?

While Apple has not confirmed the transition, it is suggested that Carson Oliver will take over the responsibilities of leading the App Store. Oliver has been in the company for more than 14 years and has spent his entire Apple career in the App Store business, so he comes with great experience.

Previously, App Store operations were under Apple’s marketing department, but now it will come under the services division. This division is led by Eddy Cue, one of Apple’s senior executives who oversees businesses such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud and other services.

Must read: John Ternus to take over as Apple CEO today: New era of iPhone-maker begins

Apple sees a series of high-profile exits

Amid leadership transitions at Apple, several senior executives are also leaving or retiring around the same period. Jeff Williams, Apple’s former chief operating officer, retired in December after 27 years at the company. Lisa Jackson, who led Apple’s environmental, policy and social initiatives, also announced her retirement in December. Kate Adams, Apple’s general counsel, was another senior executive whose departure was announced around the same time.

Jennifer Bailey, who has led Apple Pay for more than 20 years, is expected to retire in October. Whereas Paul Meade, the Apple executive responsible for the Vision Pro, left Apple in June to join OpenAI.

As Ternus takes over as CEO today, he will have to build a new leadership team and bring in or promote a younger generation of executives who can take responsibility for Apple's major businesses.