John Sculley reveals the key events and marketing techniques that catapulted him from being head of Pepsi-Cola to the leader of the most innovative company of all - Apple Computers.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The chairman and CEO of Apple Computer, with the aid of a Business Week editor, vividly describes how, after working as an executive for Pepsi-Cola, developing winning strategies in the Cola Wars, and being promoted to president at age 38, he abandoned a "second-wave" company to join Apple, a "third-wave" firm epitomizing flexibility, creativity, and innovation. Sculley tells of his mistakes, failings, and successes and ends chapters with lessons in management or marketing. Highly recommended for business students and anyone curious about a CEO's life.Leonard Grundt, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By J. Reynolds
Format:Hardcover
Mr. Sculley describes how Steve Jobs lured him to Apple, and blithely exposes his thought processes behind the decision to go. Among other things, he insisted upon a lucrative compensation/house package, explaining that he simply could not be burdened with any personal financial considerations while dedicating his self-appraised tremendous powers to running Apple. The Apple folks agreed, Sculley got his huge salary and his new house, and under his hand the company tanked down the tubes forthwith.
Sculley presented management lessons as his narrative progressed. He did not directly discuss the matter of incentives, and the complacency which unearned wealth induces so quickly, electing instead to present that lesson by his own example. Perhaps if Mr. Sculley had been more concerned about his own financial condition as a function of the company's success or failure, he would have been more highly motivated to do a better job running the firm.
At least one member of every corporate board of directors should read this book, and keep this lesson about incentives in mind whenever it's time to hire new executives and develop their compensation packages.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I started with an expectation of something that would be fast paced; however, this was not to be. Sculley's style is repetitive and slow. He makes a point in a couple of paragraphs and then goes on and on about the same thing. He also gives too much importance to his personal life in the book.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By cgriell
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well, I read this book after viewing Job's lecture at Stanford […] really fascinating. So I would know what was happening behind the scenes, and what went wrong on the love story of Jobs and Sculley.
The book explains Sculley's East Coast (and Republican) vision of how to manage a big company, which, is, essentially, I may say a "military" way to organize a company, with clear objectives and responsabilities, vs. the West Coast (and Democrat) which is more cooperative and less organized. Of course you cannot manage a multimillion company with the manager deciding on everything, from the profile of the programmers to hire to the marketing budget.
It explains also the big mistake Sculley (and others have done) when trying to emulate the Sosa wars, with IBM-PC vs. Macintosh. A consumer may just pick one Pepsi on the shelves of a supermarket, and test it, and eventually switch brands... An IT Manager simply cannot do that, and its amazing that people as smart as Apple Board of Directors didn't see this. Anyhow, since then Apple has profiled his public and they did not try to compete with PC clones anymore. They aim their sales to a prospective buyer who is not the IT Manager anymore. Probably this is not a decision done by Jobs when returning to Apple.
What the book says is not as important as what the book hides, probably the fact that not all companies are created equal, and there is no such thing as "one size fits all". Probably Sculley was the right man for the job in a certain moment, but sure Apple under his management would have become a "me too" company, as Hewlett-Packard is now. Of course I prefer the panache of DEC trying to convince the world to follow their way - although they did not suceed - to the Compaq-HP deal, manufacturing dull machines with dull O.S.
The book explains Sculley's East Coast (and Republican) vision of how to manage a big company, which, is, essentially, I may say a "military" way to organize a company, with clear objectives and responsabilities, vs. the West Coast (and Democrat) which is more cooperative and less organized. Of course you cannot manage a multimillion company with the manager deciding on everything, from the profile of the programmers to hire to the marketing budget.
It explains also the big mistake Sculley (and others have done) when trying to emulate the Sosa wars, with IBM-PC vs. Macintosh. A consumer may just pick one Pepsi on the shelves of a supermarket, and test it, and eventually switch brands... An IT Manager simply cannot do that, and its amazing that people as smart as Apple Board of Directors didn't see this. Anyhow, since then Apple has profiled his public and they did not try to compete with PC clones anymore. They aim their sales to a prospective buyer who is not the IT Manager anymore. Probably this is not a decision done by Jobs when returning to Apple.
What the book says is not as important as what the book hides, probably the fact that not all companies are created equal, and there is no such thing as "one size fits all". Probably Sculley was the right man for the job in a certain moment, but sure Apple under his management would have become a "me too" company, as Hewlett-Packard is now. Of course I prefer the panache of DEC trying to convince the world to follow their way - although they did not suceed - to the Compaq-HP deal, manufacturing dull machines with dull O.S.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When the author relates the story of being lured from Pepsi to Apple, and the introduction of the Apple Macintosh, this book is fascinating. When John Sculley inserts sections about management styles, it can bore you to tears; just skip them, nothing noteworthy in the management sections anyhow. It was fun to read this book several years after its publication, with the added depth that passage of time provides. A must-have for those interested in the early history of Apple.
By Shinobi
Format:Hardcover
This is a book worth reading. Considering Apple's resurgence with the iPod and the iPad, it is very timely as well.
John Sculley was Pepsi's first MBA. After some time, he was recruited by Steve Jobs to be CEO (I think, since I have
forgotten his exact title).
After some time, Sculley forced Jobs out of Apple. And I guess you will have to read the rest of the story.
John Sculley was Pepsi's first MBA. After some time, he was recruited by Steve Jobs to be CEO (I think, since I have
forgotten his exact title).
After some time, Sculley forced Jobs out of Apple. And I guess you will have to read the rest of the story.
By A. Congress
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Knowing little about Apple's history pre-iPod other than their trysts with Microsoft, Jobs being let go, and the company being no the brink of bankruptcy, I found this book to be fascinating. Sculley talks about the various factors he considered before joining Apple, leaving behind a very coveted job at Pepsi that any other person would have clung on to. At Apple, the going wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination. Interesting perspective on the first Mac ads that aired during the Superbowl, and the ensuing successes and frustrations of Apple as a company. To some extent, it seems Sculley was apologetic internally about having to let Jobs go, which may have been the reason he wrote this book. Keep in mind this book was published way before Jobs returned to Apple and turned the company around, so Sculley wasn't apologizing to the great Steve Jobs, he was apologizing to the Jobs who was not at Apple any more. All said and done, this is a phenomenal read to get a great insight into Apple's early years and to some extent Jobs' frustrations there before he was let go.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for Mac users
I just bought the flat-screen iMac in Mar 2002 and was eager to know the history of Apple. This book gives excellent insights to the contrasting corporate cultures between Pepsi... Read more
Published on May 22, 2002 by Eric Sim
5.0 out of 5 stars
A devastating insight of the young Jobs, Apple and Sculley
An absoloute must for Apple users. It gives an insight to how Apple was run, how Jobs was at a young age, and what Sculley did at the helm. You must buy this book!
Published on October 27, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
In one word: spellbinding
It's just as spectacular as it sounds: Odyssey. I't s a really captivatingly written book, easy to follow (for us non-executive types) yet incredibly fascinating. Read more
Published on October 14, 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating inside look at the early days of the Mac.
This is a great book. It includes the famous Knowledge Navigator prophecy. It's interesting to see the thinking that lead to today's Apple. Read more
Published on March 1, 1998
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