---
title: "Steve Smith to lead Apple’s mergers and acquisitions"
description: "Adrian Perica, who ran Apple dealmaking for more than a decade, will now focus on iCloud, Fitness+ and Apple News."
url: https://mactoreality.com/steve-smith-to-lead-apples-mergers-and-acquisitions
published: 2026-10-09T05:14:27Z
updated: 2026-10-09T05:14:27Z
author: "Mac to Reality Newsdesk"
category: Rumours
tags: ["Apps","Business & leadership"]
publisher: Mac to Reality
ai_assisted: true
apple_heat_impact: 0
---

# Steve Smith to lead Apple’s mergers and acquisitions

*Adrian Perica, who ran Apple dealmaking for more than a decade, will now focus on iCloud, Fitness+ and Apple News.*

**Key points**

- Steve Smith has been appointed head of Apple's mergers and acquisitions operation, succeeding Adrian Perica.
- Adrian Perica will now focus entirely on Apple's services, overseeing iCloud, Fitness+ and Apple News.
- Carson Oliver has been promoted to vice president of the App Store, reporting to services chief Eddy Cue.

Bloomberg’s [Mark Gurman reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-08/apple-names-steve-smith-m-a-chief-moves-adrian-perica-to-services-business) on Thursday that Apple has appointed Steve Smith to run its mergers and acquisitions operation. In a [separate post on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mxez7ski4227), Gurman said Smith replaces Adrian Perica, who led Apple’s M&A and corporate development teams for more than a decade, and that Perica will now focus entirely on services such as iCloud, Fitness+ and Apple News.

The appointments are part of a broader management reorganisation under chief executive John Ternus, Bloomberg said. Smith will report to chief financial officer Kevan Parekh, and Carson Oliver has been promoted to vice president of the App Store, reporting to services chief Eddy Cue (via [9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/08/apple-names-new-head-of-mergers-and-acquisitions-per-report/)). Oliver fills the App Store role held by Phil Schiller before Schiller stepped down in August.

Perica joined Apple in 2009 and has been responsible for iCloud, Fitness+ and Apple News since 2023. Apple has not said whether Smith’s existing title of senior director of corporate development changes along with the M&A role, and the exact effective dates for the appointments have not been specified. The moves give Ternus new leadership at the centre of Apple’s dealmaking and its App Store business.

## Sources

- [Bloomberg: Apple Names Steve Smith M&A Chief, Moves Adrian Perica to Services Business](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-08/apple-names-steve-smith-m-a-chief-moves-adrian-perica-to-services-business)
- [Mark Gurman: NEW: Apple is naming Steve Smith its new M&A chief, shifting longtime dealmaking head Adrian Perica to focus exclusively on his responsibilities overseeing par…](https://bsky.app/profile/markgurman.bsky.social/post/3mxez7ski4227)
- [9to5Mac: Apple names new head of mergers and acquisitions, per report](https://9to5mac.com/2026/10/08/apple-names-new-head-of-mergers-and-acquisitions-per-report/)
- [AppleInsider: Ternus shuffle: Apple names new mergers & acquisitions chief](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/10/08/ternus-shuffle-apple-names-new-mergers-acquisitions-chief?utm_source=rss)

*This report was written by the Mac to Reality newsdesk with AI assistance from the sources listed above, under the editorial policy at https://mactoreality.com/editorial-policy.*