Sources: Phil Schiller has stepped down from his role leading Apple's App Store and product events; he will remain at Apple to work on unspecified initiatives

Apple Inc.'s Phil Schiller, one of the most visible and influential executives across both the Steve Jobs and Tim Cook eras …

Bloomberg 2026-09-01 Mark Gurman

Context & Ripple Effects

Schiller assumed App Store leadership in 2015, then retained it alongside Apple Events after becoming an Apple Fellow in 2020, when Greg Joswiak took over worldwide marketing. That history made the App Store an unusual long-running remit for an executive no longer running marketing.

The reported handoff follows coverage that Apple is placing the App Store inside Eddy Cue’s services organization. Sources say Schiller will remain an Apple Fellow on unspecified initiatives, while the change removes his named operational ownership of the store and launch events.

First-order effects

Apple’s App Store and product-event responsibilities are reported to move away from Schiller, narrowing the portfolio he retained after his 2020 transition to Apple Fellow.
Eddy Cue’s services unit is positioned to take responsibility for the App Store, according to the related reporting, concentrating store operations with Apple’s services leadership.

Second-order effects

App Store developers and partners would have a more direct operating relationship with Cue’s organization rather than Schiller’s office, changing the internal route for store-policy and commercial issues.
Apple’s product-event planning loses its long-standing executive lead, requiring the company to assign ownership of launches separately from the App Store transition.

Third-order effects

The move points to Apple separating stewardship of its public product narrative from operation of a major services platform, with the App Store becoming more tightly aligned to the services unit.
If Apple continues reallocating veteran executives’ remits, functional ownership rather than individual product-era leadership will increasingly define its management structure.

The trend: Apple is consolidating platform operations under functional leaders while transitioning responsibilities once concentrated in long-tenured product executives.

Discussion

@tim_cook Tim Cook on x
Sending lots of love to the Apple community on my last day as CEO. My title changes tomorrow, but the love I have for the Apple community never will. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. My gratitude is endless, and I'm excited for the next chapter!
@classicii_mrmac Mr. Macintosh on x
This is a pretty big announcement. Phil Schiller was right there with Steve Jobs and Tim Cook at the start of Apple's comeback in 1997-1998. He is officially stepping back to only his Apple Fellow role. Phil has a combined 35 years of service to Apple 1987 - 1993 & 1997-today
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
A few weeks back, gaming out how the Epic/Apple rift might play out in the US. Two of those shoes just dropped at once... https://spyglass.org/...
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
I hope Apple looks toward the future as optimistically as I do, seeing a blue ocean of opportunity to radically advance the hardware, the intelligence of the software, and the quality and spirit of the whole app ecosystem for everyone's benefit. A company that looks to grow its …
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
NEW: Phil Schiller, one of its most important and visible executives during both the Jobs and Cook eras, is stepping down from his role leading the App Store and product launch events in Apple's major changing of the guard. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@jeiting Jacob Eiting on x
Phil began working on the App Store 20 years ago, at 0 apps and $0 revenue. Today, it's paying developers on the order of $100B a year, and is still growing. There is still lots to complain about, but you do, in this instance, have to hand it to him. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@luke_metro @luke_metro on x
what a run, I'll never forget when Phil Schiller jumped 20ft holding a laptop in 1999 to demonstrate Wi-Fi to the public
@mysk_co @mysk_co on x
This is directionally very good
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
To be clear, this is part of a retirement plan. Schiller no longer runs any departments at Apple. He remains there on an as-needed basis/advisory basis and will handle any projects he's needed for in the time being.
@timsweeneyepic Tim Sweeney on x
This will be a new age for Apple. In the long history of the company that launched the personal computer revolution, some eras were world-changing and some disappointing, and they were often seen differently by users, developers, and shareholders.
r/apple r on reddit
Apple's Phil Schiller Steps Down from Running App Store, Product Events
@neil_shah Neil Shah on x
End of an era as the most successful CEO for Apple to build upon Steve's unmatched vision and grow Apple into the world's most loved, used and valuable personal electronics company. 🫡 $AAPL
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
As Tim Cook's tenure as Apple CEO comes to a close, you can sense in his tweet below the immense gratitude that he still holds today for Steve for giving him the opportunity to lead Apple. Like Apple has experienced every year of its existence, Cook had his doubters along the way…
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Tim Cook will remain intimately involved at Apple after handing off the CEO role to Ternus, eager to fill his plate with responsibilities and to continue his relationships with Donald Trump and in China. He's far from saying goodbye.
@chshersh Dmitrii Kovanikov on x
@unusual_whales Meanwhile, Apple products are worse than ever. Another sober reminder: shareholders' value doesn't always mean users' value.
@alfred_lin Alfred Lin on x
@tim_cook Generational transitions are tough, and even tougher when it's for an already legendary company like Apple. Congrats on all you accomplished as CEO and before, and all you'll continue to accomplish.
@viticci Federico Viticci on x
My favorite @tim_cook moment: After I published my story on life after cancer in 2015, he wanted to talk to me about it and said Apple would continue doing as much as they could with Health and the Apple Watch. Thanks for the work, Tim. https://www.macstories.net/...
@trungtphan Trung Phan on x
Steve Jobs really pulled a reality distortion field to poach Tim Cook from Compaq (in 1998, it was worth $30B+ to Apple's $3B). All of Cook's friends and advisors told him not to join almost-bankrupt Apple. Cook says it took Jobs one meeting to convince him: “I had gotten a
@joshelman Josh Elman on x
I feel so lucky to have worked at Apple for 10% of its company lifetime. All in Tim's era. What is special about Apple is that it is grown to become a focused group of people focused on making the best technology in the world for people to use in their regular lives.
@chancehmiller Chance Miller on x
Tim Cook, in a memo to Apple employees on his last day as CEO: “We have made it possible to leave our ‘dent in the universe,’ as Steve once described it, because of who we are and what we believe, because of what we value and how we see the world. How fortunate we are. How
@sahilbloom Sahil Bloom on x
Today is Tim Cook's last day as CEO at Apple. I first met Tim in 2014 and I've been fortunate to call him a mentor and friend ever since. I want to share something about him that I've found remarkable. He's the best example I've seen of an old Zen saying: “What do you do
@aravsrinivas Aravind Srinivas on x
Congrats Tim on an incredible journey at Apple. Few people have ever shipped at that scale without letting the bar for excellence slip. You've raised the standard for all of us to aspire to; thanks for everything.
@lukemiani Luke Miani on x
Tim Cook took Apple from $350B to $4T in 15 years without overtly taking advantage of customers to the degree that has become commonplace. He didn't fill every Apple product with ads, sell your data to the highest bidder. He didn't trap you in a dependency cycle where you have
@classicii_mrmac Mr. Macintosh on x
In 1997, Tim was a VP at Compaq, which was the #1 computer maker in the world Apple on the other hand was in deep trouble. Steve Jobs personally recruited him away from Compaq. That decision helped reshape Apple's future. Today, Apple is the 2nd largest company in the world.
@mtslive @mtslive on x
SITUATION EXPLAINED: Today is Tim Cook's last day as CEO of Apple. - 2011: jobs resigns, cook takes over, iphone 4s - 2012: iphone 5, ipad mini, third-gen ipad - 2013: iphone 5s and 5c, dividends and buybacks begin - 2014: beats acquired for $3b, iphone 6, apple pay, cook comes
@joshelman Josh Elman on x
Instead of talking about market cap growth, what about talking about the impact of Tim's Apple on lives saved by Apple Watch, the number of people with new phones that went about their lives better, the amount of work that got done faster at higher quality on Macs and more.
@ijustine @ijustine on x
I can't believe we are just one day away from Apple getting a new CEO! Wishing Tim the best of luck in his new role and congrats on the last 28 years at Apple!
@jonfortt Jon Fortt on x
Today is Tim Cook's last day as $AAPL CEO before he becomes executive chairman after 15 years at the helm. Here's #Apple revenue from before he took over, without FY 2026 included because it still has another month to go:
@deryatr_ Derya Unutmaz on x
Thank you, Tim Cook, for maintaining and greatly enhancing the magnificent DNA of Apple set by Steve Jobs. He was right again in picking you to lead one of the greatest companies ever, of which I've been a fanatic fan for more than three decades. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. 🙏👋
@johnnie Johnnie Manzari on x
Steve Jobs' greatest product wasn't the iPhone or the Mac, it was Apple itself: the machine that makes the machine. When Tim Cook took over, conventional wisdom was that Apple would slide into irrelevance, because Steve's system required a singular product visionary driving the
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
NEW: Tim Cook sends a final memo to Apple employees on his last day as CEO. “I will miss this work in ways I can only begin to imagine, even as I remain completely at peace with my decision,” he says, adding he has “enormous comfort” with Ternus in charge. https://www.bloomberg.c…
@greg16676935420 Greg on x
🚨BREAKING: After 15 years, today is Tim Cook's last day as CEO of Apple
@sarahpereztc Sarah Perez on x
Tim Cook's parting message: Apple is in the hands of a product builder https://techcrunch.com/...
r/apple r on reddit
Read Tim Cook's full memo to Apple employees on his last day as CEO
r/technology r on reddit
Read Tim Cook's full memo to Apple employees on his last day as CEO: “Today is my last day as CEO of Apple. As you know, I am not leaving Apple. …
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Cue's role at Apple has been growing quickly under Ternus, now the App Store and Apple Arcade and previously getting responsibility over Health at the end of last year.
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Eddy Cue gets the App Store after an 11 year break, Apple Events goes back to Communications/PR after a seven year hiatus.
@dylanmcd8 Dylan on x
Sad to see Phil leave, but oh my gosh, Eddy Cue taking over the App Store could be SO good
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
opportunities for change I hope
@iconredesign @iconredesign on x
Phil Schiller nooooooooooooooo
@zollotech Aaron Zollo on x
That's a big change too
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
This means all three members of the “pricing committee” are gone. The three who tried to bolt on external linking fees at odds with a court order leading to court sanctions for the company. We know about this as Schiller was odd man out and testified to it.
@beffjezos @beffjezos on x
He came. He saw. He Cooked.
@apollozac Zac Hall on x
Tim Cook probably sleeping in till like 4:30 am tomorrow https://x.com/...
@patrickmcgee_ Patrick McGee on x
Foxconn CEO Terry Gou and his wife were in town for Tim Cook's final days:
@nbaidmehta Uncle Deng on x
Imo, he deserves the Bharat Ratna for ushering in a new renaissance for our manufacturing sector and giving us a crucial and highly labour-intensive + value-added export industry: electronics instead of volatile commodities like crude and gems& jewellery whose decline was
@samsheffer Sam Sheffer on x
legendary run tim cooked
@tushar15 Tushar Gupta on x
Tim Cook, the technocrat who mastered the art of diplomacy.
@leakerapple @leakerapple on x
Tim Cook will go down in the history books as one of the best CEOs of a megacorp in modern history. We will miss you Tim ❤️
@samifathi Sami Fathi on x
It's official. The start of a new era for Apple.
@viticci Federico Viticci on x
The beginning of a new era: John Ternus is officially Apple's new CEO. https://www.apple.com/...
@aaronp613 Aaron on x
Apple has updated the leadership pages of Phil Schiller and Eddy Cue to represent their recent changes of responsibilities
@joshsternberg.com Josh Sternberg on bluesky
It's going to be interesting to see how Apple transitions from the Cook Era to the Ternus Era. — www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

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