Scott Tucker, who spent years heading litigation at Meta Platforms Inc. and serving as one of its deputy general counsels, has taken on the equivalent role at Apple Inc., where the company is contending with an expanding volume of legal challenges. A newly created post placing Tucker in charge of commercial and patent litigation on a worldwide basis — carrying the title of vice president of global litigation and financial services at Apple — has been established for her to step into. Oversight of the organisation's financial products and their associated legal obligations will also fall within his portfolio.
The appointment draws Tucker back into a working relationship with Jennifer Newstead, who recently took on the general counsel role at Apple and has opted to bring along a colleague she relied on during her tenure at the social media company. Appointed to the general counsel post at Apple in March, Newstead brought six years of experience heading the legal function at Meta into the role.
Under the new arrangement, Heather Grenier — who holds the vice president role covering commercial and competition litigation at Apple — would answer to Tucker rather than directly to Newstead, placing her one tier below her current position in the hierarchy. Grenier is set to keep a place within Newstead's legal leadership structure.
Before joining Meta, Tucker had built a background in senior legal work at Morgan Stanley — a foundation that now informs the financial services portfolio he oversees in his current post. Andeer, who has long held a vice-presidential post overseeing regulatory and product-related legal affairs at Apple, is taking on a broader set of responsibilities within the company's legal division. Responsibility for cross-border legal affairs, along with duties tied to protecting children online, cybersecurity, and law enforcement, is moving under his purview.
Neither Apple nor Meta made any comment available through their respective communications teams. Folded into a wider restructuring that Newstead is steering across legal and government affairs, these adjustments reflect one piece of that larger effort.
Nate Gatten, who previously held an executive post at American Airlines Group Inc., has taken on the role of vice president of government affairs at Apple. Separate government affairs leads were brought on to oversee distinct international regions on behalf of the organisation.
Following the departures of Lisa Jackson, who had overseen environmental, policy and social initiatives, and longtime general counsel Kate Adams, Newstead took charge of a newly consolidated unit bringing together Apple's legal and government affairs functions. Cook, who previously held the chief executive post and now serves as executive chairman, has stepped into an active part in the company's dealings with government.
On multiple legal fronts, Apple faces proceedings that span a broad federal antitrust action, a drawn-out dispute with Epic Games Inc. over how the App Store operates, and separate cases tied to privacy matters and delayed Siri functionality. Regulatory pressure from authorities on both sides of the Atlantic, combined with a string of court-ordered payouts and negotiated settlements running into the billions, has put sustained strain on the operations at the heart of the iPhone maker's business model.
Within Apple, a faction of executives has taken the view that the company's courtroom record — App Store disputes in particular — has fallen short of what they expected. Adjustments to how Apple charges developers — and the conditions under which those fees apply — came about as a result of the legal and regulatory outcomes the company faced. Apple's services division, which has driven much of the company's top-line growth in recent years, could see that momentum slow if the proposed policy changes take effect.
Overseeing Apple's litigation portfolio is a role that carries well-documented demands on whoever occupies it. Lawsuits have long trailed the Cupertino-based technology company, with its legal exposure stretching from personal injury claims at retail locations all the way through to antitrust proceedings valued in the billions.
Grenier took over the role in 2021, at the point when Apple's antitrust dispute with Epic Games was about to go to court, inheriting the post from a predecessor who had just left under anything but ordinary circumstances. Two leadership changes unfolded during her time in the role — John Ternus taking over as CEO and Newstead stepping into her position.
Ternus has put a string of leadership changes into motion over the past several weeks, reshaping who runs the App Store, events, and internal functions that include information security and real estate. Among the other personnel moves, the executive who had long overseen Apple Pay is stepping down, a new appointment is being made to lead the mergers and acquisitions function, and the hardware engineering division is being restructured.
