App Store VP Departs as Apple Prepares for Organizational Changes

Wednesday August 21, 2024 1:11 pm PDT by Juli Clover

App Store vice president Matt Fischer is set to leave the company as Apple prepares for an ‌App Store‌ reorganization to deal with regulatory changes, reports Bloomberg.

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
Apple plans to split its ‌App Store‌ group into two teams, one that handles the ‌App Store‌ and a second team that oversees alternative app distribution. As of earlier this year, Apple has supported iOS app downloads from alternative app stores and from websites in the European Union, a change that the company had to make to comply with the Digital Markets Act.

To handle ongoing compliance with EU regulations for app distribution and alternative payment methods, ‌App Store‌ chief Phil Schiller is changing the ‌App Store‌'s hierarchy.

Fischer joined Apple in 2003 to oversee iTunes marketing, but he has served as the vice president of the ‌App Store‌ since 2010. In an email to Apple employees today, Fischer said that he had been thinking about leaving Apple for some time, and the reorganization provided the right opportunity.

With Fischer leaving, ‌App Store‌ senior director Carson Oliver will oversee the ‌App Store‌, and Ann Thai, a director who oversees ‌App Store‌ features, will head up the team that handles alternative app distribution.

Tag: App Store

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Top Rated Comments

Abazigal

20 months ago

Instead of the App Store, Schiller should be in charge of retail stores.

Move Apple Store employees to hourly + commission pay, headed by a former VP of marketing and sales.

$50 per MacBook Pro. $25 per MacBook Air. 5% payout of gross accessory profit. $15 per iPhone. Suddenly you'll have workers that are paid well.

I don't understand why Apple doesn't do it. It would increase profits even more.

Apple stores work precisely because retail staff aren’t driven by commissions and are not constantly trying to push customers to buy more stuff.

You really don’t understand, or you are deliberately being sarcastic / obtuse here?

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jz0309

20 months ago

people come, people go. Wish him luck in his new endeavor, whatever they might be

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

AppliedMicro

20 months ago

Ann Thai, a director that oversees App Store features, will head up the team that handles alternative app distribution

Elsewhere: "Ann Thai, a director in charge of App Store features like search and discovery, will run the new team responsible for alternative distribution"

👉 Given how well those features work on Apple's App Store today, what could go wrong on alternative app distribution?

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

CarAnalogy

20 months ago

As long as Phil Schiller is still ultimately in charge, nothing will change.

They will still bend over backwards to minimally comply with regulation, and continue to purposely miss the point of why so many people are criticizing the App Store in the first place.

I don't understand how it was easier or better in any way to split the App Store like this. They need a fundamental re-analysis of what they're doing with software distribution, and it's not going to happen with Schiller in charge.

I thought they promoted him out of the App Store by making him a technical fellow and semi-retiring him. But since then he's still been writing whiskey-fueled public letters and making executive decisions.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Mrkevinfinnerty

20 months ago

Phil announcing the layoffs on the same day as his raise

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

uacd

20 months ago

Maybe turning it into this huge pile of 💩 wasn’t a really good idea?

Press-releases, ads, so-cal “now trendy” etc. I miss AppStore from iOS 6 which was as simple as turning on the TV