Former Apple CEO John Sculley discusses the tech company’s future amid leadership changes and the rise of artificial intelligence in “The Claman Countdown.”
Former Apple CEO John Sculley identified OpenAI as the biggest competitive threat Apple has faced in years, marking a potential shift after decades of the iPhone maker’s dominance in the tech industry.
“I think this is the biggest thing that’s happened since then Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs fifteen years ago,” he told The Claman Countdown on Monday.
Sculley’s comments come a week after it was announced that Tim Cook will step down as Apple’s CEO to become executive chairman, and as both Apple and OpenAI are reportedly exploring the development of similar next-generation AI products.
Apple is reportedly planning to launch a wearable AI pin, said Sculley, while a former Apple designer Jony Ive, credited with assistance to transform the company’s product vision, is partnering with OpenAI to create its own AI-powered hardware.
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Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, speaks during a discussion session with Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, at an event titled “Transforming Business through AI” in Tokyo, Japan, on February 3. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“It’s one that may have a camera in it. It won’t have a screen. And it will be able to have situational awareness, which means it’s always on, listening and you get it through an earbud,” he explained. “And that would be a whole new user experience for people in the Apple ecosystem.”
Sculley said each company’s interpretation of the device will be different, but warned that competition threatens Apple’s long-standing technological dominance.
He indicated that consumer loyalty may vary as buyers will focus on their favorite product, rather than falling back on Apple’s ecosystem.
“I expect they will have very different ways of interpreting it in terms of a product,” the former Apple CEO said.
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“Some will become loyal to one version and some will become loyal to another.”
The rise of OpenAI as a dominant force in technology The world is part of what Sculley described as a “weather system” that is constantly moving the industry.
Tim Cook will become Apple Executive Chairman and John Ternus will become CEO of Apple on September 1, 2026. (Reuters/Reuters)
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Sculley confirmed that Apple’s leadership remains strong amid the AI storm, even amid concerns surrounding Cook’s transition.
Sculley then offered advice for Apple as it enters its 50th year and as the race for AI dominance only gets more intense.
‘Stay true to the values Apple is so successful in: great products, no compromises,” he said.
