With Tim Cook’s Last Day, Changes Are Happening at Apple

After 15 years leading Apple, Tim Cook is stepping down as chief executive on Monday. And while he is committed to a smooth transition and continuity to the tenure of John Ternus—senior vice president of hardware engineering, who takes over on Tuesday—changes are already happening.

Notably, long-time Apple executive Phil Schiller is stepping down as head of App Store and product events, Bloomberg reported. The App Store team will be moved under services lead Eddy Cue, while events will be switched to public relations lead Kristin Huguet Quayle.

Schiller, who previously was senior vice president of marketing until 2020, was part of the Apple old guard with deep connections to cofounder Steve Jobs when he came back to the company to successfully lead the company as CEO. (Schiller was once nicknamed “mini-Steve” as he mirrored Jobs’ fierce management style.) Schiller was often more influential than his titles would suggest, as he would weigh in on various parts of the business and product strategy. Bloomberg reported that Schiller would stay involved in the company and keep his title of “Apple Fellow” but was part of ultimately retiring.

In his own goodbye memo to employees, Cook wrote: “This is a moment I always knew would come one day, and yet it is still hard to believe it has arrived and I am writing these words.”

Cook will stay on as executive chairman and is expected to be deeply involved in parts of the company. “I look forward to seeing you in my new role at Apple Park and around the world,” he wrote.