Forced OutForced out · Jun 18, 1993
Rank #41 in Database

John Sculley

CEO of Apple (1983–1993)

NASDAQ: AAPL•Hardware & Tech•United States
John Sculley executive portrait
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Quick Answer & Tenure Summary

John Sculley served as CEO of Apple for a verified duration of 10 years 2 months (3,724 days), from Apr 8, 1983 until Jun 18, 1993. During this tenure, John Sculley guided Apple across major corporate milestones before being removed by the board of directors.

In Office
10 years 2 months
3,724 days
Start Date
Apr 8, 1983
Appointed 1983
End Date
Jun 18, 1993
Forced out
Age at Appointment
44 years old
Born Apr 6, 1939

Executive Succession & Corporate Facts

Predecessor
Not recorded
Successor
Not recorded
Database Tenure Rank
#41 Longest-Serving CEO in Database (View Full Rankings →)
Company Founded
Apr 1, 1976 (Cupertino, California)
Known Aliases
John Sculley III

Tenure Milestones & Transition Timeline

Apr 8, 1983Source ↗

John Sculley Recruited from Pepsi-Cola as Apple President and CEO

Apple's Board and Steve Jobs recruited Pepsi-Cola president John Sculley to become Apple's Chief Executive Officer.

Jan 24, 1984Source ↗

Apple Introduces Original Macintosh Computer

Sculley presided over the launch of the Macintosh 128K featuring a graphical user interface and 3.5-inch floppy disk drive.

Sep 17, 1985Source ↗

Executive Boardroom Showdown Results in Steve Jobs Resigning from Apple

Following a management dispute over Macintosh pricing and sales, Apple's Board backed Sculley and removed Jobs from executive division leadership.

Oct 21, 1991Source ↗

Apple Launches PowerBook Line of Portable Laptop Computers

Sculley unveiled the PowerBook 100, 140, and 170 at Comdex, generating $1 billion in first-year revenue and winning industrial design awards.

Jun 18, 1993Source ↗

Apple Board Replaces John Sculley with Michael Spindler as CEO

Amid shrinking gross margins in the PC price war and high Newton development expenses, Apple's Board removed Sculley as CEO, naming COO Michael Spindler.

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