Ex-Apple CEO John Sculley Declares OpenAI as Apple’s First Real Rival in Decades

During his keynote at the Zeta Live conference, John Sculley, who led Apple between 1983 and 1993, made a bold proclamation: OpenAI is the first true competitor Apple has had in decades. He argued that Apple has lagged behind in AI innovation, especially when compared to firms like OpenAI, Google, Amazon, and Meta. 

Sculley cited Apple’s delays in upgrading Siri and inconsistent AI product rollouts as evidence of its weaker position in the AI race. He suggested that Apple must evolve from the “apps era”—where discrete apps dominate—to an “agentic era,” in which intelligent agents autonomously perform complex tasks for users. 

He also forewarned that Apple’s next CEO must steer the company through this transition, embracing subscription models and agentic AI rather than relying solely on traditional app revenue. 

Sculley pointed out a strategic advantage held by OpenAI: former Apple design chief Jony Ive, whose design firm and AI hardware startup were acquired by OpenAI earlier this year. He argued that Ive might bring Apple’s design excellence to the new AI paradigm, further intensifying competition.