Former Apple CEO John Sculley has confirmed that the current Apple CEO Tim Cook may be planning to retire soon. Speaking at the Zeta Live Conference in New York City last week, Sculley said that whoever replaces Tim Cook will need to help Apple transition from the apps era to the agentic era.
John Sculley was Apple CEO from 1983 to 1993. During his tenure as CEO, Sculley has a tense relationship with Steve Jobs. It was during this period that Jobs left Apple before returning in 1997.
Reports of Tim Cook stepping down from the CEO role have increased over the past few months. In a recent edition of the weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that hardware engineering chief John Ternus is positioned as the leading candidate to replace him.
Bloomberg's Gurman reports that Apple's PR and marketing teams have increasingly spotlighted Ternus, who recently introduced the iPhone Air and led customer events at Apple's Regent Street store in London, a ceremonial role Cook previously filled.
Ex-Apple CEO calls OpenAI as Apple’s ‘first real competitor’
During the interaction, Sculley criticized Apple’s AI growth, stating that “AI has not been a particular strength for them (Apple).” He goes on to call ChatGPT-maker OpenAI as the company’s “first real competitor” in decades.
"When we had apps at the center of everything, it was selling tools, selling products," Sculley said. He further added that “In the agentic era, we don't need a lot of apps, it can all be done with smart agents”.
“When you think of subscription, it's about people paying for something as long as they need it,” he continued, emphasizing that subscriptions offer a much better business model.
John Sculley was Apple CEO from 1983 to 1993. During his tenure as CEO, Sculley has a tense relationship with Steve Jobs. It was during this period that Jobs left Apple before returning in 1997.
Reports of Tim Cook stepping down from the CEO role have increased over the past few months. In a recent edition of the weekly Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said that hardware engineering chief John Ternus is positioned as the leading candidate to replace him.
Bloomberg's Gurman reports that Apple's PR and marketing teams have increasingly spotlighted Ternus, who recently introduced the iPhone Air and led customer events at Apple's Regent Street store in London, a ceremonial role Cook previously filled.
Ex-Apple CEO calls OpenAI as Apple’s ‘first real competitor’
During the interaction, Sculley criticized Apple’s AI growth, stating that “AI has not been a particular strength for them (Apple).” He goes on to call ChatGPT-maker OpenAI as the company’s “first real competitor” in decades.
"When we had apps at the center of everything, it was selling tools, selling products," Sculley said. He further added that “In the agentic era, we don't need a lot of apps, it can all be done with smart agents”.
“When you think of subscription, it's about people paying for something as long as they need it,” he continued, emphasizing that subscriptions offer a much better business model.
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