Born in the United States, John Sculley spent most of his childhood in Bermuda and Brazil. His family eventually returned to the US and Sculley graduated high school from St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He went on to Brown University where he got his bachelor’s degree in architectural design. He then entered the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business where he got his MBA.
In 1967, Sculley began working as a trainee at PepsiCo. He rose up the ranks and as VP of Marketing, Sculley played a big role in Pepsi’s rise and the battle with Coca Cola for the top spot. His success with “The Pepsi Challenge” propelled him to the highest post in the company in 1977. In 1983, Sculley made the move to computer giant Apple, where he applied his marketing expertise in building the company’s brand.