The man who built Apple’s stores doesn’t buy Silicon Valley’s bet on AI shopping
Apple retail pioneer Ron Johnson says shoppers will not hand high-value purchases to AI agents.
Ron Johnson, who built Apple's retail stores, told TechCrunch that AI will improve online shopping but will not determine how most people shop or replace physical product experience. He said buyers of a $1,000 to $2,000 laptop are unlikely to let an agent choose and purchase it without seeing the device. The article contrasts that view with Google's Universal Commerce Protocol and OpenAI's effort to let ChatGPT users research and sometimes buy products in chat. Johnson also revisited his J.C. Penney tenure and Enjoy Technology's 2022 bankruptcy and asset sale to Asurion.
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