LisaList2
General Category => LisaList2 => Topic started by: classiccomputing on November 17, 2025, 03:33:39 pm
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Recently, I released the full extended interview segments with John Sculley from my documentary film about the Apple Lisa. If you’re interested, I also interviewed Sculley for my audio podcast back in late 2011. In that episode, I opened with a short preface (slightly updated here) to set the stage for our conversation. Here’s an excerpt:
Hello, my name is David Greelish, founder of ClassicComputing.com. I’m a computer historian, writer, documentary filmmaker, and I produce videos on YouTube. I’ve long been a devoted fan of the Apple Lisa, Macintosh, Apple Computer, and of course, Steve Jobs, whose vision and creativity have deeply inspired me.
But my admiration doesn’t stop there. I’m also a fan of John Sculley, whose book "Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple" I’ve owned for many years. Sculley often gets a bad rap, remembered primarily for “firing” Steve Jobs and nearly bankrupting Apple. Yet my own journey with Apple began in late 1986, while Sculley was CEO. That was when I fell in love with the Mac, Apple products, and the unique culture of being part of the minority, choosing a non-DOS, later non-Windows path. I was a Mac user, and proud of it.
By the late 1990s, I began studying computer history more seriously, learning about the two Steves, Wozniak and Jobs, and the remarkable story of Apple. In recent years, especially after Jobs’ passing, Sculley has expressed deep remorse over the events surrounding Jobs’ departure. Personally, I believe he’s been too hard on himself. As CEO, Sculley took his role seriously, stood firm on critical decisions like the future of the Apple II, and ultimately faced a boardroom showdown with Jobs. The board sided with Sculley, and for good reason, stripping Jobs of all operational responsibilities. Jobs was never fired from Apple.
Despite the controversy, Apple under Sculley was far from stagnant. From 1985 through the early 1990s, the company remained innovative and exciting. During his leadership, Apple introduced groundbreaking products: the Mac Plus (the first fully “realized” Macintosh), the Apple II GS, the Mac SE, and especially the Macintosh II, with its open architecture and color display. The Macintosh system software evolved significantly, affordable Macintosh models and the PowerBook line were introduced (which redefined the laptop form factor), plus QuickTime, and even the ambitious Newton all emerged during this era.
Though Sculley’s last year at Apple included a large decline in profit, the company never lost money between 1985 and 1993 during his leadership. Apple was profitable every fiscal year in that period.
Comments?
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You can listen to that earlier interview here: https://classiccomputing.com/Classic_Computing/Blog/Entries/2012/1/13_I_interviewed_John_Sculley!.html (https://classiccomputing.com/Classic_Computing/Blog/Entries/2012/1/13_I_interviewed_John_Sculley!.html)
I later donated the transcript to the Computer History Museum: https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/02/500003269-05-part_1.pdf (https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/02/500003269-05-part_1.pdf)
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Thanks!