As Tim Cook steps down as CEO, another Apple veteran is taking a step back

While all eyes are on Tim Cook vacating his role of CEO at Apple, another company veteran, Phil Schiller, is reportedly taking a step back too. Schiller is known as one of Apple's most visible executives, having worked alongside Cook and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.While Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO, veteran executive Phil Schiller is reportedly also scaling back some of his duties at the company. (Photos: Reuters)If you browse through social media or “tech Twitter” today, you will likely see a lot of posts around Tim Cook and his decision to step down as Apple CEO. While Cook is being succeeded by John Ternus at the company, there is another prominent Apple executive, Phil Schiller, who is also scaling back.As per a report from Bloomberg, Phil Schiller, known to be one of the most visible executives at Apple, is stepping down from leading the App Store and Apple’s product events.Like Cook, Schiller is unlikely to leave Apple. Going by the report, it is likely that he will remain at the company with his Apple Fellow title and work on “unspecified initiatives.”Who is Phil Schiller?To give you some context, Phil Schiller has worked at Apple for over 3 decades in two stints. The first between 1987 and 1993, and the second from 1997 to the present day. During this time, Schiller became one of the most visible executives at Apple. He worked closely with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. The change affects the last two major responsibilities still held by Phil Schiller. Schiller is known for introducing many of Apple’s biggest products over the years, and for helping shape several major devices, including the iPhone, iPad, iPod and many Mac models. Alongside Jobs, he also helped lead the creation of the App Store.The report adds that some within Apple believe that this move is a big step towards Schiller’s eventual retirement. In 2020, he transitioned to the role of Apple Fellow after stepping down as the company’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing that year. After leaving the marketing role, Schiller continued to oversee the App Store and Apple events. He is believed to be Apple’s main decision-maker on approving or rejecting controversial apps and on handling relations with software developers.He also led work on new App Store policy changes in response to lawsuits and regulation, including Apple’s long-running legal fight with Fortnite maker Epic Games. As per the report, Apple is now moving responsibility for the App Store to the services division led by Eddy Cue, who had overseen the store until 2015 before the role shifted to Schiller and the marketing group.Beyond the App Store, Schiller continued to oversee Apple’s events team. That group handles events globally, including major product launches. That responsibility is reportedly now being handed to Nola Weinstein, who has led the function as Schiller’s deputy since 2023. Apple’s next event is set for September 9, when the company is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro series and the foldable iPhone. It will also be the first Apple event under John Ternus’ leadership.Schiller’s move comes as Apple faces a broader transition among senior leaders under Ternus. Apple’s operations chief Jeff Williams, former hardware head Dan Riccio, finance chief Luca Maestri, and environment and government affairs head Lisa Jackson have also stepped down or shifted into smaller roles.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Sep 1, 2026 09:40 IST