John Sculley
Born 1939 · Age 86
American business executive, marketing expert, investor and entrepreneur; PepsiCo marketing executive and president (1970s–1977/1977–1983), CEO of Apple Inc. (1983–1993); later investor and founder/co‑founder of multiple tech startups.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in New York City
John Sculley III born to Margaret Blackburn (Smith) and John Sculley Jr.
Early childhood in Bermuda
Sculley and his brothers spent much of their childhood in Bermuda before moving back to New York.
Married Ruth (first marriage)
Married Ruth (stepdaughter of PepsiCo president Donald Kendall) in 1960; the couple had two children and divorced in 1965.
First job: Marschalk Co. in New York City
Began work at the Marschalk Co. in New York City, his first recorded professional position.
Divorced first wife Ruth
Divorced Ruth in 1965. They had two children during their marriage.
Joined Pepsi-Cola as trainee
Hired by Pepsi-Cola division of PepsiCo as a trainee and completed a six-month bottling-plant training program in Pittsburgh.
Became Pepsi's youngest marketing vice-president
Promoted to marketing vice-president at Pepsi (reported as the company's youngest marketing VP).
Led major consumer research test at Pepsi
Initiated an extended in-home product test (350 families) that informed new product-packaging and marketing decisions.
Worked on development of the two‑liter bottle
Collaborated with DuPont on developing the two‑liter plastic soft-drink bottle, enabling new packaging strategies.
Pepsi Generation marketing campaign era
Participated in Pepsi's broad push to overturn Coca‑Cola's marketing with the 'Pepsi Generation' strategy (early 1970s).
President, PepsiCo International Food Operations
Named president of PepsiCo's International Food Operations; took over a money-losing food division and began a turnaround.
Launched the Pepsi Challenge taste-test campaign
Initiated the Pepsi Challenge, a high-profile blind taste-test ad campaign targeted initially at markets like Texas to drive market share from Coca‑Cola.
Turned around PepsiCo food division
Within ~3 years converted the food division from losses to ~$300M revenue and ~$40M profit.
Named Pepsi's youngest-ever president
Promoted to President of PepsiCo (commonly referred to as CEO in press, though Don Kendall remained CEO).
Married Carol Lee Adams (second marriage)
Married Carol Lee Adams (ex-wife of a former PepsiCo VP) in 1978; the marriage lasted until divorce in 2011.
Recruitment approach by Steve Jobs begins
Steve Jobs pitched Sculley to join Apple, using the famous line about selling sugared water vs. changing the world; negotiations culminated early 1983.
Apple Lisa becomes available (prior to Sculley's active tenure)
The Apple Lisa, an innovative GUI-based computer project led initially by Jobs, became available in January 1983 but experienced disappointing sales.
Joined Apple as CEO (signing package disclosed)
Joined Apple Computer as CEO (April 8, 1983). Received $1M signing bonus, $1M annual pay and stock options on 350,000 Apple shares.
Macintosh ships to stores; Sculley sets price
The Macintosh shipped to stores in January 1984. Sculley raised the initial retail price to $2,495 (from $1,995) to fund marketing and higher margins.
Power struggle: Steve Jobs removed from managerial duties
Following clashes with Jobs over direction and spending, the Apple board sided with Sculley, removing Jobs from managerial duties; Jobs resigned and later founded NeXT Inc.
Apple experiences turnaround under Sculley
After corporate restructuring and focus on product and marketing, journalists noted an Apple turnaround beginning in 1986.
Named Silicon Valley's top‑paid executive
Reported as Silicon Valley's top-paid executive in 1987 with an annual salary of US$10.2 million.
Introduced Macintosh Portable (bulky) — product difficulty
Apple introduced the Macintosh Portable (1989), a product that underperformed; Sculley later described lessons learned from it.
Start of Macintosh 'first golden age' period
The period between 1989 and 1991 was later described as the 'first golden age' of the Macintosh, with strong product introductions and sales growth.
Apple sales growth (1983→1993): tenfold increase reported
During Sculley's tenure Apple sales were reported to have increased roughly tenfold (from ~$800M–$982M in early 1980s to approx. $7.9–8B by 1993).
Launched PowerBook
Apple introduced the PowerBook line in 1991 — a successful portable product line developed after lessons from the Portable.
Released System 7 operating-system upgrade
Apple shipped System 7 in 1991, a major Mac OS upgrade adding color support and networking, forming the basis of Mac OS through 2001.
Political activity: Hosted fundraiser for Tom Campbell
In 1992 Sculley hosted a fundraiser at his Woodside ranch for Republican Tom Campbell's Senate primary campaign.
Keynote: 'The Dawn of a $3.5 Trillion Communications Mega‑Industry'
Gave a seminal Harvard Business School keynote predicting the economic scale and transformative effect of information access and distribution.
Apple financials at departure (reported)
Reports note that around the time he left, Apple reportedly had about $2 billion in cash and $200 million in debt (reporting period around 1993).
Oversaw and launched the Apple Newton (coined 'PDA')
Sculley coined the term 'personal digital assistant (PDA)' referring to the Apple Newton; he oversaw and launched the Newton project (1993).
Ported Mac OS to PowerPC (strategic decision later called a mistake)
Led Apple to port its operating system to the PowerPC microprocessor in the early 1990s — a decision Sculley later acknowledged as a strategic mistake (should have targeted Intel).
Reported Apple revenue at end of Sculley tenure
Multiple sources cite Apple revenues around $7.9–8.0 billion by 1993, up from under $1B in 1983 — a major company milestone during Sculley's decade as CEO.
Sat next to Hillary Clinton at State of the Union
Sculley, having served with Hillary Clinton on a national education council, sat next to her during President Clinton's first State of the Union in January 1993.
Joined Spectrum Information Technologies as chairman & CEO
After leaving Apple, became chairman and CEO of Spectrum Information Technologies (a company holding wireless data patents).
Resigned as Apple CEO
Sculley resigned as Apple CEO on October 15, 1993 after internal tensions, a weak quarter and strategic disagreements; Michael Spindler replaced him as CEO.
Resigned from Spectrum and filed lawsuit seeking >$10M
Resigned from Spectrum about four months after joining and sued Spectrum president Peter Caserta alleging he was misled, seeking more than $10 million in damages.
Co‑founded PopTech
Co-founded the PopTech conference with Bob Metcalfe and other technology dignitaries; became a frequent speaker (attended nearly every year except 2005).
Became founding investor in MetroPCS (General Wireless)
Was a founding investor and advisor in MetroPCS (then General Wireless), helping guide brand marketing; the company later became a multibillion-dollar public company.
Became chairman of Live Picture (joined board) with venture backing
Named chairman of Live Picture to push high-quality, low-bandwidth imaging online; $22M in venture capital was provided to the company.
Live Picture filed bankruptcy
Live Picture filed for federal bankruptcy protection in 1999 as part of a planned acquisition by MGI Software.
Built NFO Research and exited to IPG (reported scale and sale)
Reportedly built NFO Research from $25M to $550M in revenue and sold it to Interpublic Group (IPG) for approximately $850M (dates not precisely specified in source).
MBA from Wharton School
Earned an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (year not specified).
Signature21 transitioned to entrepreneur learning program
After partnering with Dennis M. Lynch to launch Signature21 marketing services (c.1998), Sculley and Lynch transitioned the business into a learning program for entrepreneurs in 2001; Lynch left months later.
Attended St. Mark's School (high school)
Attended St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts (years not specified).
Bachelor's degree, Brown University
Received a bachelor's degree in Architectural Design from Brown University (year not specified).
Endorsed and invested in The Wine Clip
Endorsed and invested in the Wine Clip, a wine aeration accessory (product claims and commercial venture).
Featured in BBC documentary and other media retrospectives
Appeared in televised documentaries and interviews (e.g., BBC's Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates) recounting his Apple tenure and interactions with Jobs and Gates.
Public reflections: Canceled PenMac, Newton decisions
In a notable October 2003 CNET interview he discussed mistakes at Apple, including the Newton and HyperCard decisions and the canceled PenMac project.
Joined OpenPeak board and became venture partner at Rho Ventures
Became a director at OpenPeak and joined Rho Ventures as a venture partner, advising on wireless, digital media and tech investments.
InPhonic IPO and Sculley as vice-chairman
Served as vice chairman of InPhonic's board; InPhonic completed an IPO in 2004 (later filed for bankruptcy in 2007).
InPhonic bankruptcy (after IPO)
InPhonic, where Sculley was vice-chairman and an early backer, filed for bankruptcy in 2007 (the company had completed an IPO in 2004).
Named Chairman of IdenTrust
In March 2006 was named chairman of IdenTrust (formerly Digital Signature Trust Company), focusing on identity verification and financial security.
Zeta Global rebrand and growth (later milestones)
Zeta was founded 2007 and later rebranded (XL Marketing merged 2014; rebrand to Zeta Global in Oct 2016) and grew via funding and acquisitions into a significant data/marketing company.
Co‑founded Zeta Global
Co-founded Zeta Global with David A. Steinberg; the company focuses on data-driven marketing and analytics.
Interview on Steve Jobs and design (Cult of Mac)
In 2010 he gave a long-form interview covering his relationship with Jobs and reflections on product design and strategy.
Divorced Carol Lee Adams
Divorced second wife Carol Lee Adams in 2011 after more than three decades of marriage.
Portrayed in films and media
Portrayed by actors in major films: Allan Royal (1999 Pirates of Silicon Valley), Matthew Modine (2013 Jobs) and Jeff Daniels (2015 Steve Jobs).
MetroPCS acquisition by T‑Mobile finalized
MetroPCS, a company Sculley had been a founding investor in, merged with T‑Mobile; merger finalized May 1, 2013 (company became part of T‑Mobile US).
Married Diane Gibbs Poli
Married Diane Gibbs Poli in 2013; the couple lives in Palm Beach, Florida.
XL Marketing merged into Zeta Interactive (relaunch)
In January 2014 data analytics firm XL Marketing was rebranded/integrated into Zeta Interactive, relaunching as a big-data marketing firm.
Co‑founded Obi Mobiles / Obi Worldphone
Co-founded Obi Mobiles (later Obi Worldphone) to target emerging markets with competitively priced smartphones.
Panelist at Zeta forum on changing marketing
On January 30, 2014 Sculley participated as a panelist at a Zeta-organized forum featuring ad executives and marketers discussing marketing evolution since Apple's 1984 ad.
Obi Worldphone launches sub-$250 smartphones
Obi Worldphone launched sleek smartphones aimed at emerging markets, priced typically under $250 (announced Aug 27, 2015).
Zeta funding and growth (public reporting)
Zeta Interactive (Zeta Global) continued to raise funds and expand; press reported major funding rounds and valuations during mid‑2010s.
Personal moment: Emotional reaction visiting Japan
During a 2016 visit to Japan, Sculley encountered Steve Jobs's autograph in a sushi restaurant and became emotional; reported as symbolic reconciliation with the past.
Chairman roles: PeopleTicker and SkillsVillage (as of 2016)
As of 2016 Sculley served as Chairman of PeopleTicker and SkillsVillage, reflecting continued advisory and board activity.
Worked on healthcare startup RxAdvance
Reported involvement in RxAdvance, a cloud-based platform to help manage chronically ill patients across pharma, hospitals and insurers.
Distanced himself from Obi Worldphone
In September 2017 Sculley said his name was being used primarily for PR and publicly distanced himself from Obi Worldphone operations.
Retired from Zeta Global's board (press release)
Business Wire reported Sculley's retirement from Zeta Global's board in June 2025.
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