Apple is making more leadership changes under CEO John Ternus, naming Steve Smith as its new mergers and acquisitions chief and promoting Carson Oliver to vice president of the App Store. The changes also give Adrian Perica a larger role within Apple’s services division as the company considers future leadership plans.
According to a new Bloomberg report, Smith will replace Perica, who joined Apple in 2009 and led its mergers and acquisitions operations for more than a decade. Smith previously worked closely with Perica and will now report directly to Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh, bringing Apple’s corporate development team back under the finance division for the first time since 2019.
Meanwhile, Perica will continue overseeing iCloud, Apple Fitness+, and Apple News, businesses he has managed since 2023, while reporting directly to services chief Eddy Cue.
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Apple Prepares for More Changes in Services Leadership
Apple is also promoting Carson Oliver to vice president of the App Store after longtime executive Phil Schiller stepped away from his daily responsibilities in August. Oliver will continue reporting to Cue, whose responsibilities have expanded to include the App Store and Apple’s Health and Fitness teams.
The report also suggests that Perica and Apple Music executive Oliver Schusser are emerging as potential successors to Cue, with Apple reportedly considering dividing his responsibilities between the two executives.
These changes follow Ternus taking over as Apple’s CEO on September 1, as the company continues adjusting its executive structure. Meanwhile, Apple’s mergers and acquisitions team remains responsible for major acquisitions and strategic partnerships, including agreements with Google and OpenAI.
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