“After 21 years at Apple, I have made the decision to step away from our amazing company.“This is how Matt Fischer begins his farewell email. We are talking about one of the most important figures within the company, an affable person who you could rarely see around Apple Park and who has led the company to become the most valuable on the planet. But behind his decision lies a whole iceberg of decisions and changes at Apple.
A few hours ago we told you about the biggest change in Apple’s digital history. The European Union imposed these regulatory changes and Cupertino has complied with them in the most radical way possible: You will be able to uninstall all of Apple’s preferred applicationsofficial ones such as Messages, Safari, Phone, Wallet, Music or Camera, and replace them with alternative third-party applications.
This is a huge change for any iPhone, because Apple does not install bloatware whimsical, Install essential functions to make the Apple ecosystem as functional and user-friendly as possibleBut you only have to look at the recently launched Epic Games Store to understand that the alternative distribution of not just apps, but entire alternative stores to the App Store, is a firm step forward for good. And of course, Matt Fischer, vice president of everything related to the App Store, is jumping ship at a key moment, taking advantage of an organizational change in the management team that completely terraforms what we knew until now.
App Store Changes
In charge of the App Store since 2010, Fischet has had to testify on several occasions in the Epic vs. Apple case, in front of a jury that has always taken a dim view of the 30% commission that Apple charges for in-app purchases. He reported directly to Phil Schiller and Schiller to Tim Cook.so we can get an idea of the relevance of your position.
However, it is not usual for such a high-profile release to be made public and for the author himself to speak out in his own handwriting. Matt Fischer has done it on LinkedInand during his farewell letter, Matt recalls some of the key points of his career. And it is that under his leadership, Apple’s services sector has gone from to generate just over 300 million dollars annual net profits to exceed one billion per month. In fact, during the last quarter gross revenues in Services reached 24.2 billionmore than the combined revenue from sales of Macbooks, iPads, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirTags, HomePod and our beloved Apple TV.
When I joined Apple in 2003, we were just launching the iTunes Music Store. I started as a contractor, helping sign independent labels to iTunes, and was soon brought on full-time as one of the first members of the marketing team. Together, we built the iTunes brand, grew our customer base, expanded internationally, and formed partnerships that fueled our growth. I loved working closely with emerging artists, labels, television networks, film studios, and podcasters, helping them thrive on our platform. In 2007, that all changed with the introduction of the iPhone. I was in the audience at Macworld that dayand the energy in that room when Steve introduced the product was unlike anything I’d experienced in my career. The App Store followed a year later in 2008, with 500 apps.
I don’t know about you, but this paragraph stirs up things for me that I thought I had forgotten. Matt Fischer’s is probably the most impeccably written, diplomatic and affectionate farewell letter and exercise in resignation that I have read in a long time. The opposite of burning bridges. And as you rightly point out, your role now falls to two people, Carson Oliver and Ann Thai.
Why two? Because it seems that Apple is going to split the team that until now was in charge into two departments, one for the United States and one for the European Union. The management of benefits from the use of alternative app stores or marketplaces will be directed by the European teamby Ann Thaiwhom we have already seen in more than one keynote. And the control of the traditional team will be in the hands of Carson Oliver.
It’s a mess, but that’s what the European Union wanted in order to avoid monopolistic markets and to favour greater freedom and pluralism where users are the ones who choose which services to use. It was either that or face the biggest fine in its history.