Apple’s long-serving App Store head, Phil Schiller, has recently stepped down from his position, following a series of high-level departures as CEO Tim Cook prepares to exit his role. Schiller, who has been with Apple since 1987 with only a brief four-year interruption, took over the App Store in 2015. Although he will remain at the company in a new role as an Apple Fellow, working on unspecified projects, insiders suggest this transition marks a significant step toward his eventual retirement.

Schiller’s departure comes amid a wave of executive exits at Apple. The company has recently lost its chief operating officer Jeff Williams, vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson, general counsel Kate Adams, and Jennifer Bailey, the longtime head of Apple Pay, who is set to retire in October. Additionally, Paul Meade, the vice president overseeing the Vision Pro headset, left the company in June to join OpenAI, leading to a reduction in the Vision Pro team. As John Ternus assumes the role of CEO, he faces the task of replenishing Apple’s leadership ranks with new corporate talent, among other challenges. Source

This is a summary. Read the original at techcrunch.com.