Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

[MacRumors]

With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store.

Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working close to 80 hours a week.

Schiller is known for responding to emails almost immediately, and answering phone calls at all hours. He testified during the Epic v. Apple lawsuit to ardently defend the App Store, and he is involved in Apple's EU messaging as well. Schiller joined in on Apple PR calls with members of the media when the iOS 17.4 changes were announced, and he spent time explaining how the DMA will impact user privacy and security in Europe.

When Apple terminated the Epic Games developer account in March to prevent it from creating an alternate app marketplace, it was Schiller who sent an email to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney to suggest that the account had been shut down because of Epic's criticism of Apple's DMA compliance. Schiller's email did not go over well with the European Commission, and Apple ultimately reversed its decision.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook defers to Schiller when it comes to App Store matters. Schiller joined Apple back in 1987, left in 1993, and returned in 1997 when Steve Jobs came back to Apple. He has been at the forefront of some of Apple's biggest product launches, developing marketing strategies for everything from the iPod to the Mac.

He was one of the main supporters of adding third-party apps to the iPhone, working to convince Jobs to launch the App Store in 2008. Known as a Jobs "mini-me," Schiller has reportedly kept Jobs' philosophy alive at Apple. Under his watch, human review has remained a key part of the App Store, and the App Store has grown into a major revenue stream for Apple.

More on Schiller can be read in The Wall Street Journal's full profile.

Article Link: Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

 

[jz0309]

ok, feel about him however suits you ... for a person in that position and compensation, he should be working 80hr weeks ...

 

[blazerunner]

ok, feel about him however suits you ... for a person in that position and compensation, he should be working 80hr weeks ...

He's still overpaid.

 

[MacTwick]

"in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working close to 80 hours a week."

How many hours was he working before ?!

 

[xDENTALPLANx]

That’s more than every iPhone user on earth combined spends on the App Store

 

[jz0309]

He's still overpaid.

that could be said for a whole lot of executives at public and private companies ...

 

[F23]

he really has courage.

 

[So@So@So]

I really like Schiller and the App Store but I also strongly believe that alternative App Stores and will benefit customers (and Apple!).

 

[exmophie]

Can't help but wonder who in Apple Investor Relations sponsored an advertorial in The Wall Street Journal to assuage investors that Apple leadership will never kneel to governments or developers and the stocks will just go upwards forever. 🤔

 

[djinn]

What they're not telling us is, he's actually paid hourly.

 

[yeah]

ok, feel about him however suits you ... for a person in that position and compensation, he should be working 80hr weeks ...

At this point, let’s make 80 hours per day standard! You know, no time for life or anything personal!

/s

 

[sw1tcher]

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

I offer this alterntive headline:

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Creating Ways* to Maximize App Store Revenue



*Core Technology Fee

 

[zapmymac]

Another PR piece: look Apple C-suite people work hard tooooooooo!

I'm glad he has a job at a company he loves, doesn't need a second job to pay the bills. He may not be a 1 percent'r but he's also not what the majority of citizens are either.

Not many people even get the chance to succeed like this.

And this why why I feel like it's a fluff piece on Apple WSJ edition.

IMO

Snarky me: work smarter not harder 😬

 

[dmr727]

My wife worked 80+ weeks for 5 years. After watching her suffer through that, there is *no* amount of money that'd make me do the same.

 

[B4U]

80 hours per week?
That is about 11 hours each day of the week.
I hope he lives close by the office considering the traffic of the area.

 

[Schtibbie]

Good for him.

 

[haydn!]

ok, feel about him however suits you ... for a person in that position and compensation, he should be working 80hr weeks ...

No-one should be working 80+ hours a week. Regardless of position or compensation. Its 2024, not 1824.

Don't feel sorry for him though. He's clearly a control freak if he can't trust the thousands working for him to do the right thing without him overseeing everything.

 

[Mr Magoo]

80 hours sure.

 

[Shasterball]

Lots of people work 80 hours a week. Lots of people work in fields, under terrible conditions, with no benefits, for 80 hours a week, just to barely make enough to survive.

So, hours worked doesn't really impress me. Results do - and whether you can get awesome results in 10 hours a week or 80 hours a week, well that's up to you.

Now, when it comes to success here, I am not sure there has been a ton the past few years...

 

[Shasterball]

Another PR piece: look Apple C-suite people work hard tooooooooo!

I'm glad he has a job at a company he loves, doesn't need a second job to pay the bills. He may not be a 1 percent'r but he's also not what the majority of citizens are either.

Not many people even get the chance to succeed like this.

And this why why I feel like it's a fluff piece on Apple WSJ edition.

IMO

Snarky me: work smarter not harder 😬

Phil Schiller is definitively in the top 1%. He is, in fact, in the top 0.1%, or higher.

 

[huge_apple_fangirl]

Maybe Tim should stop deferring to him so much on the App Store, given how much regulatory trouble that’s got Apple into.

 

[DarthDon]

I see at least 3 Hours a day at the food table…

 

[Yammabot]

Maybe he can get that innovative ass going and put out a decent product! Anyone else tired of the relentless updates? M series chips with an unfixable flaw?

 

[Someyoungguy]

No-one should be working 80+ hours a week. Regardless of position or compensation. Its 2024, not 1824.

Don't feel sorry for him though. He's clearly a control freak if he can't trust the thousands working for him to do the right thing without him overseeing everything.

Yeah. When I saw this the only thought that occurred to me was that he must be a terrible manager, or otherwise terrible at his job. It may comfort other investors but it shakes this one.

 

[Fuzzball84]

I thought we had got to the point where we realise that quality over quantity is better every time. One of my workplaces had to send out warnings to people who were doing too many hours... because some people took it to the extreme and ended up having car accidents. It was absolutely serious.

I'm pretty sure numerous studies have shown that there is an optimum number of hours for peak efficiency and performance. You end up getting to the point of diminishing returns and actually making serious mistakes.

It is also key to be able to switch off... that means no reading emails at 3:20 AM, no sending texts at 1:40 AM or taking calls at 6:00 to 7:00 AM while you're trying to have breakfast etc