Why did longtime Apple executive Phil Schiller step down from his role as head of the App Store?
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Schiller’s decision – he will remain involved with the company as an Apple Fellow working on an unspecified project – was driven in part by a desire to spend more time with his family and philanthropy.
But there’s apparently another factor in Schiller’s thinking: new CEO John Ternus and head of services Eddy Cue look to improve App Store margins and bring in recurring revenue.
Of course, Apple’s management of the App Store, as well as the payment share of the App Store, has been a source of constant criticism from developers and even the subject of a large lawsuit.
In Gurman’s telling, there was no great struggle over the strategy of Ternus and Cue. But Schiller believed that trying to squeeze more profits from the business would only increase the conflict with the government and developers, so he decided to resign and avoid involvement.
