# Former J.C. Penney CEO, Apple Store & Genius Bar Creator Ron Johnson on Learning from Steve Jobs, and the Future of Retail

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/future-ready-leadership-with-jacob-morgan-891576/former-j-c-penney-ceo-apple-store-genius-bar-creator-ron-johnson-on-learning-from-steve-jobs-and-the-future-of-retail
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/future-ready-leadership-with-jacob-morgan-891576/former-j-c-penney-ceo-apple-store-genius-bar-creator-ron-johnson-on-learning-from-steve-jobs-and-the-future-of-retail.md
Podcast: [Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan](https://stenobird.com/podcast/future-ready-leadership-with-jacob-morgan-891576)
Published: 2026-07-27T14:24:00+00:00
Episode link: https://futureofworkpodcast.libsyn.com/former-jc-penney-ceo-apple-store-genius-bar-creator-ron-johnson-on-learning-from-steve-jobs-and-the-future-of-retail
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Duration seconds: 3215

## Resource

I talk with Ron Johnson, creator of the Apple Store and Genius Bar, former J.C. Penney CEO, and author of Shop Different , about what really made Apple's retail strategy work. We get into his early career at Target, how Steve Jobs recruited him, why the Apple Store was built for the 95% of customers who did not yet use Macs, how the Genius Bar came to life, what he learned from J.C. Penney, and why he remains optimistic about AI, work, and the future of retail.

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