Ex-Apple CEO says OpenAI is Apple’s ‘first real rival in decades’

Former Apple CEO John Sculley believes OpenAI has become the company’s “first real competitor” in decades, signaling a major shift in the tech landscape as artificial intelligence (AI) redefines how people interact with technology.

Speaking at the Zeta Live conference in New York City, Sculley said AI has never been Apple’s strong suit and warned that the company must adapt quickly to stay relevant in the emerging “agentic era.”

“In the agentic era, we don’t need a lot of apps; it can all be done with smart agents,” said Sculley, who led Apple from 1983 to 1993.

He added that Apple must evolve beyond the “apps era” that has defined its ecosystem for more than a decade.

Sculley’s comments come amid reports that Apple has struggled to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Google, Amazon, and Meta, particularly after delays in rolling out an AI-powered Siri overhaul earlier this year.

The 86-year-old executive, who helped popularise the Mac during his tenure and later co-founded Zeta Global, also hinted at leadership changes at Apple, noting speculation about Tim Cook’s possible retirement.

Sculley said the next CEO will need to guide Apple through a transformation toward AI-driven, subscription-based models, where agentic AI systems take over routine tasks for knowledge workers and consumers alike.

For those unversed, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, has emerged as the leading internal candidate to succeed CEO Tim Cook.