Apple’s executive in charge of App Store developer relations, Ron Okamoto, has retired and the role has been taken over by a key marketing executive, Bloomberg News reports, citing “people familiar with the matter.”
On April 30, 2001, Apple announced that Ron Okamoto had joined Apple as vice president of Developer Relations, reporting to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
“We are thrilled to have Ron leading our developer relations team,” said Steve Jobs at the time. “Ron’s firsthand experience at two successful Mac developers will help Apple to become an even better partner for our third party developers.”
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Okamoto was hired by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2001 as vice president of developer relations after previously serving as an executive at Adobe Inc. At Apple, Okamoto helped oversee the app-review process and policies, distribution of tools to build and sell apps, forums and technical developer support, the annual WWDC conference, awards for developers, and developer communications.
Okamoto’s status as a former employee was disclosed Friday in a witness list provided by Apple to the court for its upcoming trial versus Fortnite developer Epic Games Inc.…
His role has been filled by Susan Prescott, a respected Apple marketing executive who also oversees marketing for Apple’s own apps, services and enterprise initiatives.
MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations, Ron Okamoto, on your retirement!