Former Apple CEO warns Cook's successor must lead AI shift
4 min read
Former Apple CEO John Sculley confirmed during the Zeta Live Conference in New York City last week that current Apple CEO Tim Cook may be planning to retire in the near future, calling for his successor to lead the company into what he termed the "agentic era" of artificial intelligence.
Leadership Transition and Succession Planning
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that hardware engineering chief John Ternus has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Cook. Ternus, 50, has been increasingly spotlighted by Apple's public relations teams, recently introducing the iPhone Air and leading customer events at Apple's Regent Street store in London—ceremonial roles traditionally filled by Cook.[1][2][3][4]
The succession speculation intensified after Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams stepped down from operational duties in July and announced plans to leave the company by year's end. Williams was previously considered Cook's natural successor, but with his departure, Ternus has become "the most likely heir apparent," according to Gurman.[3][5][1]
Critical AI Competition Warning
During his appearance at the conference, Sculley delivered stark criticism of Apple's artificial intelligence capabilities, calling OpenAI the company's "first real competitor" in decades. "AI has not been a particular strength for them," Sculley stated, emphasizing that Apple must urgently transition from the "apps era" to the "agentic era" where intelligent AI agents perform tasks without requiring multiple applications.[1][2][3][4][5]
Sculley warned that subscription-based AI models like OpenAI's ChatGPT represent a fundamental shift away from Apple's traditional product-sales approach. "When we had apps at the center of everything, it was selling tools, selling products. In the agentic era, we don't need a lot of apps; it can all be done with smart agents," he explained. The former CEO also highlighted OpenAI's acquisition of Jony Ive's startup as a "symbolic turning point," noting Ive's role in designing Apple's most iconic products.[4][5][6][7]
This transition comes as Apple stock has risen only 1.5% this year compared to AI leaders like Nvidia (36%) and Microsoft (22%), reflecting investor concerns about the company's position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.[8]
Reference sources:
[1](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2025/10/13/apples-former-ceo-john-sculley-calls-openai-apples-first-real-competitor-in-decades-468665/)[2](https://www.businessinsider.com/former-apple-ceo-john-sculley-says-openai-rivals-apple-2025-10)[3](https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/10/48174433/former-apple-ceo-john-sculley-identifies-this-companys-as-apples-first-real-competitor-in-decades)[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/apples-former-ceo-john-sculley-confirms-apple-ceo-tim-cook-may-be-planning-to-retire-says-whoever-replaces-cook-should-/articleshow/124521538.cms)[5](https://fortune.com/2025/10/13/former-apple-ceo-john-sculley-behind-ai-openai-competition/)[6](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/apples-former-ceo-john-sculley-confident-about-ai-hardware-that-jony-ives-is-developing-with-openai-hes-the-one-who/articleshow/124530808.cms)[7](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/it/11441188)[8](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/it/11441585)[1](https://economictimes.com/news/international/us/who-will-succeed-tim-cook-as-apple-ceo-rumor-has-it-a-50-year-old-former-swimming-champ-is-in-the-running/articleshow/124388711.cms)[2](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/08/heres-who-is-expected-to-be-next-apple-ceo/)[3](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/06/apple-leadership-shakeup-impending/)[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/apples-former-ceo-john-sculley-confirms-apple-ceo-tim-cook-may-be-planning-to-retire-says-whoever-replaces-cook-should-/articleshow/124521538.cms)[5](https://fortune.com/2025/10/07/john-ternus-apple-career-tim-cook-ceo-successor/)