According to a report by Bloomberg, Josh Elman, a former venture capitalist at Greylock Partners who led early investments in Discord and the precursor to TikTok, has joined Apple to work on the App Store.
In a statement to the publication, Elman revealed that he will step back from investing and the corporate boards that he serves on, which includes the communications app Discord and the blogging site Medium. He also said that his role at Apple will focus on app discovery for customers.
Elman also served as the vice president of product at popular stock-trading app Robinhood Markets. His experience identifying and investing in apps should help Apple better promote apps in the App Store.
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. HouseParty, which develops games for smartphones, is now owned by Epic Games Inc., the Fortnite maker.
Elman’s role could help ease tensions between Apple and developers who have questioned the app tax and how Apple enforces its App Store rules.
