Apple's head of the App Store is leaving the company as part of a major shakeup behind the scenes which will see the company split its business in two.
Matt Fischer has run the App Store since 2010 but will leave Apple in October, according to Bloomberg. Mark Gurman reports that Fischer leaves as part of a major reshuffle at Cupertino. "The App Store group is being split into two teams: one overseeing Apple’s own store and another responsible for alternative app distribution," he reports.
The move comes as Apple faces intense regulatory pressure around the globe to rehash its iPhone app distribution business model, a trend that has seen the advent of alternative app marketplaces, sideloading, and more in the EU thus far.
The move has reportedly been made by Phil Schiller in response to these changes.
Matt Fischer leaves Apple
In an email Wednesday Fischer told employees at Apple "After 21 years at Apple, I’ve made the decision to step away from our incredible company." He said the move had been on his mind for some time, and that the internal reorganization was "the right moment to pass the baton to two outstanding leaders on my team.”
Bloomberg says that Carson Oliver and Ann Thai will helm the two new sections of Apple's App Store business. The former will run the App Store group, and the latter will run the team in charge of alternative distribution.
Beyond the EU, Apple is facing market probes in other territories, including a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice in the U.S.. Some developers and lawmakers are pressing the company to allow alternative methods of iPhone app distribution away from the App Store, usually to circumvent Apple's commission charged on those products. However, Apple has introduced alternative fees such as the Core Technology Fee, and still takes commission on payments made on alternative platforms.
It's unclear whether Apple's decision to separate the two could herald a change in possibly down the line.
