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

[citysnaps]

I worked with Tim Cook at IBM for about ten years. He worked an average of 75-85 hours per week during that time. I have no doubt he does about the same today. One of the hardest working, and most focused, people I have ever been around.

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Some people are wired like that - which is good. No doubt in my mind Cook's working 60-80 hours a week for Apple.

People who laugh at that or believe Phil is lying have never worked in that kind of environment.

 

[StanleyOmar]

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.

A lot of people choose to work that much because they don't like what's waiting for them at home, and just hide behind the perception that they're a "workaholic". I heard a story recently about a guy at my company who was retired for a whole year before his wife found out. People have all kinds of motivations for being at work at all hours of the day.

 

[satchmo]

I worked with Tim Cook at IBM for about ten years. He worked an average of 75-85 hours per week during that time. I have no doubt he does about the same today. One of the hardest working, and most focused, people I have ever been around.

Yup, he certainly has been focused on shareholder value and profits.

 

[richinaus]

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.

100% agree.
my response to all this, is that's his choice, and if he loves it, even better.

My choice in life is to work around 35 hours a week doing something I am passionate about. I don't earn huge $$ but it doesn't matter - I have enough. Phil must need more............

 

[citysnaps]

Yup, he certainly has been focused on shareholder value and profits.

Ever wonder where that shareholder value and profits come from?

It's about one of the most successful tech companies in the world with 160,000+ employees creating/manufacturing/selling products that Apple's 1 billion repeat customers purchase and enjoy year after year after year.

No doubt in my mind Cook's working 60-80 hours a week keeping that going.

 

[BellSystem]

One of the few people at Apple that sorted an issue for me that nobody else cared about. Actioned it immediately and I was shocked. Also followed up on it. He is a good dude and was happy to have interacted with him. He would make a better CEO than Cook.

 

[hoodafoo]

There are more than 80 hours in a week, so what's he wasting his time on the rest of the time?

 

[3530025]

"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 ?!

168 hours a week.

Him saying saying that he now works 80 hours a week is a step back is like Putin saying 102% is a step back from previous 110% in the election voting.

 

[TonyC28]

Morgan Freeman as the narrator: "He did not, in fact, work 80 hours per week."

 

[segfaultdotorg]

I work 90 hours a week, overseeing Phil Schiller's oversight of the App Store.

 

[HouseLannister]

80 hours worked is not 80 hours of productivity. The more hours you work, the less beneficial those hours are to the company. It’s quantity over quality. I get more done from 9a-noon than I do for the rest of the day. Everything post-lunch is a waste.

In addition, working this much is a sign of a bad leader. He refuses to trust his team and delegate the work because he has not invested in developing those under him.

 

[developer13245]

" human review has remained a key part of the App Store,"

Calling BS here.

Try submitting a paid app update that does App Store receipt validation. App review will reject it because all the "humans" on Apple's app review don't know what an App Store receipt is.

Each time I try to communicate with the App Review team their responses have been beyond stupid. They obviously are inexperienced people who were hired for who knows what reason. I've saved most of these conversations and forwarded them to both US and EU regulators. Apple thinks all developers are idiots who fall for their lies and drink their flavor-aid. Here come the pitch forks.

 

[MysteriousStain]

80 Apple hours is the same as 160 hours at other companies

 

[TruthAboveAllElse]

Amazing how some people want power and fame much more than the enjoyment life and this planet give... all the travel and everything else. I really admire those who retire early and just live.

I'd hope that anyone who puts in those sorts of hours is passionate and is doing exactly what they want to be doing. (Within the context of being privileged enough to not do so if they wish, of course.) C-Suite types are often a different type of person than most, they are wired for working overtime.

 

[bousozoku]

I've never met a marketing person who could tell the truth or even, stop boasting.

 

[developer13245]

That wouldn't surprise me at all. Some people are wired like that - which is good. No doubt in my mind Cook's working 60-80 hours a week for Apple.

People who laugh at that or believe Phil is lying have never worked in that kind of environment.

This is the root cause of the problem. Sure, such dedication can produce very impressive accomplishments. But working that much for so long causes a person to loose touch with the "outside world". Sadly, they will insist that they ARE in touch because they've "reached so many people" and "touched them" with the products they've created. But even then their entire connection to the outside world is experienced only through their creations.
Even worse, Cook and Schiller probably only "connect" with customers through positive experiences. I would like to ask Schiller how much time he has spent understanding the negative aspects of working with Apple.

 

[richinaus]

This is the root cause of the problem. Sure, such dedication can produce very impressive accomplishments. But working that much for so long causes a person to loose touch with the "outside world". Sadly, they will insist that they ARE in touch because they've "reached so many people" and "touched them" with the products they've created. But even then their entire connection to the outside world is experienced only through their creations.
Even worse, Cook and Schiller probably only "connect" with customers through positive experiences. I would like to ask Schiller how much time he has spent understanding the negative aspects of working with Apple.

He just simply loves Apple and his job. Or likes to grandstand how important he is and that importance is directly related to his job, and is nothing without it.

 

[citysnaps]

This is the root cause of the problem. Sure, such dedication can produce very impressive accomplishments. But working that much for so long causes a person to loose touch with the "outside world". Sadly, they will insist that they ARE in touch because they've "reached so many people" and "touched them" with the products they've created. But even then their entire connection to the outside world is experienced only through their creations.
Even worse, Cook and Schiller probably only "connect" with customers through positive experiences. I would like to ask Schiller how much time he has spent understanding the negative aspects of working with Apple.

It's not a given they've lost touch with the outside world. That's at best an assumption and at worst a generalization/projection of your views onto them. It's certainly not impossible to work a lot of hours as CEO and still connect with the outside world.

If Apple were struggling that could be a possibility. But with 1 billion happy and repeat customers purchasing Apple products year after year after year, making Apple one of the most successful tech companies in the world, suggests otherwise.

If Cook and Apple's leadership lost touch with their customers and the outside world, Apple would not be enjoying the success they have.

 

[bluecoast]

80 hours a week on working on something new and innovative, would be preferable to spending that amount of time on defending something that regulators will force Apple to climb down on.

 

[citysnaps]

He just simply loves Apple and his job. Or likes to grandstand how important he is and that importance is directly related to his job, and is nothing without it.

He loves his job and thus enjoys putting in the hours. That's not unusual. Especially in Silicon Valley. I don't expect people here to get that.

Laugh all you want in the reactions below - that is expected.

 

[3530025]

At , you can check out any time, but you can never leave

Ah, now I finally understand where "walled garden" comes from!

 

[3530025]

Only on the M1 and M2s. The M3 has a built in fix for it.

Plus, most of those articles like everything else are major click bait, and make it sound way worse than it really is. Yes it effects everyone who uses a M1/2, but it requires user access, so unless you have shady people touching your stuff or download compromised software you generally should be safe.

It does not have "built in fix" for it. Per app possibility to set DIT and disable DMP completely (while affecting performance appropriately by doing so) is hardly what we can call a built in fix.

Also M1, M2 and M3 users are affected. It's not like on M3 this can be fixed globally. This requires developer to specifically fix this per app build.

And no it's not a click bait, more like misunderstanding on your side regarding this issue.

 

[Black Tiger]

These tech bros have never done a real day of work in their lives. Answering emails is not hard work. For what he’s paid, he should be working at least that much. Nothing against the guy personally, but this billionaire worship sickness that has consumed this country is disgusting to witness.

 

[Black Tiger]

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

Responding to an email is hardly difficult work. These guys have never worked a difficult day in their lives.

 

[electronicsguy]

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

Sure. But he sucks at it. He’s a relic now. No new ideas, same old arrogance.