At the Zeta Live conference in New York City, former Apple CEO John Sculley remarked that OpenAI represents Apple’s “first real competitor” in decades. Sculley emphasized that AI has not traditionally been Apple’s strength, noting the company’s delayed product rollouts, such as the revamp of its AI-powered assistant, Siri.
Sculley, who led Apple from 1983 to 1993, suggested that Apple needs to transition from the “apps era” to the “agentic era,” where intelligent agents perform complex tasks autonomously, reducing reliance on numerous applications. He also acknowledged speculation about current CEO Tim Cook’s potential retirement, indicating that Apple’s future leadership must navigate this strategic shift.
