John Sculley

John Sculley studied architectural design at Brown University and earned an MBA at the Wharton School. At PepsiCo he rose to president of the Pepsi-Cola division and became known for the Pepsi Challenge marketing campaign. In 1983 Steve Jobs recruited him to Apple with the now-famous question of whether he wanted to sell sugared water for the rest of his life.

As Apple's CEO from April 1983, Sculley presided over the Macintosh launch with its January 1984 Super Bowl commercial, then the arrival of the LaserWriter and desktop publishing, which gave the Mac a lasting professional niche. In 1985 a power struggle with Jobs ended with Jobs' removal from his operating role and eventual resignation. Under Sculley, Apple's revenue and profits grew strongly through the 1980s, and the company introduced the PowerBook line and the Newton project.

By the early 1990s, competition from low-priced Windows PCs squeezed margins, and the board replaced him with Michael Spindler in 1993 after years of mixed results. Sculley wrote his memoir Odyssey in 1987 and later became an investor in technology start-ups.

Sculley's legacy at Apple is debated. Supporters credit him with growing revenue several-fold during his decade in charge and with building the desktop publishing market, while critics point to the strained relationship with Jobs and the high-margin pricing strategy that left the Mac exposed to cheaper Windows machines in the early 1990s.