Former Apple Chief Calls Being CEO a "Mistake"

[Michael Essany]

While it's difficult to imagine anyone calling their decision to become CEO of one of the world's biggest companies a "big mistake," sometimes it happens. Case in point: former Apple Chief Executive Officer John Sculley, who at one time was instrumental in pushing out co-founder Steve Jobs in order to be the head cheese himself.

Now, in retrospect, Sculley says it was all a big mistake. According to Sculley, it was Jobs all along who should have been crowned king at Apple to serve as CEO. Initially, Sculley was drafted from Pepsi to Apple in 1983. Despite the record growth at Apple during the first portion of Sculley's tenure, he managed to shake things up tremendously by making a number of controversial decisions, like choosing to fire company co-founder Steve Jobs in 1985.

Ultimately, however, Sculley would lose his position as CEO after the company fell on hard times in the early 1990s.

Coming forward in a candid new interview, Sculley is opening up like never before and admitting some pretty startling revelations, not the least of which is that Apple brought him on board despite not knowing much of anything about computers. In the interview, the former Apple chief also admits that during his tenure, "all the design ideas were clearly Steve's. The one who should really be given credit for all that stuff while I was there is really Steve."

"My Apple experience is now ancient history and I have gone on with my life and I’m not looking for any publicity or have any ax to grind,” Sculley adds, who no longer has contact with Jobs but simply wants to set the record straight about his days at Apple.

CBS

[Cer0]

Well he did come from a company that was nowhere near what he did there. I mean back then what could Pepsi have taugh him about a computer company. Being a CEO in general yes but whole new ballpark of ideas and products.

[iD3nn1s]

Wow Steve got fired in 1985 =.=

[xerray]

woah...

[Cer0]

Wow Steve got fired in 1985 =.=

And he went on to create NeXT then get put back in Apple and then have Apple buy NeXT then have NeXT be the basis of OSX.

Where did Pixar come into play?

[Funny_Monkey]

Ha I remember watching a documentary on this.
Steve Jobs is a ledgen.
He started a company, made it big, hired a guy from pepsi( I love pepsi), got fired, worked for a differant company, taught about 'Mac OS' got hired back at apple, applied 'MAC OS' and an iPod, now an iPhone and iPad.
BOY, HE ISY IDOL!!!!!

[Cer0]

He didn't work for another company he started another company. Well 2 companies along the way. NeXT and Pixar.


But by far my favorite CEO.

[F-22]

Ha I remember watching a documentary on this.
Steve Jobs is a ledgen.
He started a company, made it big, hired a guy from pepsi( I love pepsi), got fired, worked for a differant company, taught about 'Mac OS' got hired back at apple, applied 'MAC OS' and an iPod, now an iPhone and iPad.
BOY, HE ISY IDOL!!!!!

Steve bought Pixar Animation Studios in 1986
Pixar Animation Studios acquired by Disney in 2006
Job joined board of director at Disney

[whereswaldo]

Steve had hair? I though he was like that kid in Rugrats, never had hair

And he went on to create NeXT then get put back in Apple and then have Apple buy NeXT then have NeXT be the basis of OSX.

Where did Pixar come into play?

Don't forget about Disney

[smsjrtato]

Anyone know why steve jobs got fired?

[mohaas05]

Anyone know why steve jobs got fired?

Straight from the wiki's mouth.

While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic director for Apple, some of his employees from that time had described him as an erratic and temperamental manager. An industry-wide sales slump towards the end of 1984 caused a deterioration in Jobs's working relationship with Sculley, and at the end of May 1985 – following an internal power struggle and an announcement of significant layoffs – Sculley relieved Jobs of his duties as head of the Macintosh division

[Cer0]

Don't forget about Disney

He was in Pixar; which Disney bought. Which he still resides on the board of Disney.

[Joseph_Prophet]

Anyone know why steve jobs got fired?

he was tearing that company apart with the 'Macintosh vs. Apple II' feud, Steve Woz left the company because of it. Has no one here watched 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'? or even researched Apple online?

[vindutch]

Great movie!

[awesomeSlayer]

he was tearing that company apart with the 'Macintosh vs. Apple II' feud, Steve Woz left the company because of it. Has no one here watched 'Pirates of Silicon Valley'? or even researched Apple online?

I'm not sure about that, but I think Jobs and Sculley got into an argument and then Jobs got fired.

[lightmaster]

Wow Steve got fired in 1985 =.=

Smartest decision Apple ever made.

[iphone?3gs]

The history of this company is pretty awesome. They should make a movie about it and steve jobs. In the trailer jobs will be standing in front of Sculley. "The board has decided that the best for the company would be to let you go.(Voice gets kinda different) You are relieved of your duties as head of the Macintosh Division." Jobs stays there for a minute and then walks out looking at the Apple Logo at the front of the office, then leaves the premises.

[CX3NT3_713]

whats apple? LMAO jp n wow !! Steve has came along way!!!

[brbortscheller]

Steve Jobs does indeed hate jailbreakers, but he is a very smart man. I greatly respect him and all he does for the technology world. Sure, jailbreaking is better, but without Apple, there wouldn't be anything to jailbreak anyway! Thanks Steve! Who agrees?

[AjBlue]

oh so thats where steve jobs got his shares in disney, he acuired pixar in 86' then disney bought them in 2006. 20 years after. Im still amazed that when steve was wrongly fired he basically worked for apple anyway, building osx in NeXT then acuiring them and using it in apple.