App Store Chief leaving Apple amid operational challenges

App Store chief is leaving Apple amid the major reorganization in the division and pending changes for the European market.

Matt Fischer, Vice President of App Store has been serving this position since 2010 and he is leaving that company in October reports Bloomberg.

App Store allows iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to download apps over the internet. It is the second-largest digital distribution market after Google’s Play Store.

In 2023 alone, the App Store generated more than $89 billion in consumer spending, up 2.8% from 2022. Despite its sheer size, Play Store only earned $47 billion through 2023. Apple recorded more than 2.2 million apps and games in 2023.

The Cupertino-based company also faced some crucial challenges in Europe, where it had to open an App Store for third-party developers. The company has long kept the store closed but new digital laws forced it to do the otherwise.

Earlier this year, Apple announced it will split the store for global and European users. Also, it will allow users to load third-party apps from a marketplace other than the app store. Now two teams are managing this situation, one for the App Store and the other for alternative app distribution.

Phili Schiller, responsible for the App Store, is now making changes to meet new regulations and allow user developers to access alternative stores and third-party payment methods for apps.

“After 21 years at Apple, I’ve made the decision to step away from our incredible company. This has been on my mind for some time, and as we are also organizing the team to better manage new challenges and opportunities, now is the right moment to pass the baton to two outstanding leaders on my team” Fischer told his team via mail on Wednesday.

Following Fischer’s exit, Carson Oliver, a senior director and Ann Thai, a director in charge of App Store features will lead the new team through the changes including alternative app distribution. Hence, both of them will report to Schiller.