Phil Schiller’s App Store exit reportedly driven by wariness over future plans

In Brief Posted: PM PDT · September 6, 2026 : TechCrunch Anthony Ha Phil Schiller’s App Store exit reportedly driven ? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Schiller’s decision — he will remain involved in the company as an Apple Fellow working on unspecified projects — was driven in part by a desire to spend more time with his family and on philanthropy. But apparently there was another factor in Schiller’s thinking: New CEO John Ternus and services chief Eddy Cue seek to improve App Store margins and bring in more recurring revenue. Of course, Apple’s management of the App Store, as well as its share of App Store payments, has been an ongoing source of developer criticism and even been the subject of major lawsuits. In Gurman’s telling, there wasn’t a big fight over Ternus and Cue’s strategy. But Schiller believed that trying to squeeze more profits from the business would only increase conflict with governments and developers, so he decided to step down and avoid getting involved. Topics app store, Apple, Apps, John Ternus, phil schiller Don’t miss out. The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era?