What you need to know
- Apple has hired Jason Elman to help with app discovery on the App Store.
- Elman was previously the VP of Product at Robinhood and a prominent venture capitalist.
Reported by Bloomberg, Apple has hired Josh Elman, a former venture capitalist at Greylock Partners and Vice President of Product at Robinhood Markets Inc, for a role working on the App Store. Elman will be focusing on app discovery for users of Apple's devices.
Elman's role will focus on app discovery for customers, he said in a statement Monday. He'll step back from investing and the corporate boards that he serves on, which includes the communications app Discord and the blogging site Medium.
The executive announced his new role earlier today on Twitter.
2/ I'm joining Apple to work on @AppStore and help customers discover the best apps for them.2/ I'm joining Apple to work on @AppStore and help customers discover the best apps for them.— Josh Elman 🇺🇸 (@joshelman) November 30, 2020November 30, 2020
Two apps that Elman worked on have since been acquired by some of Apple's competitors, including SmartThings and HouseParty.
Two of Elman's most successful investments now belong to two major Apple agitators. SmartThings, which makes technology for connected homes, was acquired by Samsung Electronics Co. HouseParty, which develops games for smartphones, is now owned by Epic Games Inc., the Fortnite maker that's suing Apple over its rules for the App Store.
Elman has been involved in multiple apps that have become hits on the App Store, so his hire is a big win for app discovery for Apple and potential acquisition opportunities for the company. It may also help to build Apple's relationships with developers which have been especially shaky as of late, specifically with some of its major apps like Spotify and Fortnite.
