Apple's retail pioneer doubts AI will transform how people shop
Ron Johnson, who built Apple's retail store network, says tech companies are overestimating how much shopping people will hand over to AI agents. He believes physical stores will keep thriving.
Ron Johnson, 66, who joined Apple in 2000 to build its retail business and later helped create the store network central to the company's success, is pushing back against predictions that AI agents will soon take over much of the shopping process. In an interview, he said AI will improve online shopping but doubted it would fundamentally change how people shop.
His comments come as major tech companies push what's known as agentic commerce. Google is developing its Universal Commerce Protocol to help AI agents guide consumers from discovery to checkout, while OpenAI is turning ChatGPT into a shopping destination where users can research, compare, and sometimes buy products directly.
Physical experience still matters
Johnson said purchases like a $1,000 or $2,000 laptop are too personal to delegate entirely to an AI agent, since buyers want to feel its weight, see the display, and judge the size themselves. He believes AI can narrow down choices but cannot replace physically experiencing a product. Instead, he expects shoppers to arrive at stores better informed after using AI to research beforehand.
Johnson's conviction traces back to decisions made at Apple more than two decades ago, when he and Steve Jobs designed stores not just for sales but as places to try products and get help. Those choices are revisited in his new book, "Shop Different." He noted that competitors have copied Apple's store design but often missed the human element — staff who aren't paid on commission and therefore aren't pressured to sell.
After leaving Apple, Johnson led J.C. Penney starting in 2011 but was ousted less than two years later after sales fell sharply, a setback he attributes to changing too much too fast. He later founded Enjoy Technology, an e-commerce startup that filed for bankruptcy in 2022. Despite his skepticism about AI's role in reshaping retail, Johnson describes himself as an AI optimist, while maintaining that human intuition remains irreplaceable.
