The Man Who Built Apple's Stores Doesn't Buy Silicon Valley's Bet on AI Shopping
While Silicon Valley pours billions into making AI agents shop on our behalf, the man who pioneered Apple's retail stores believes the industry is overestimating how much of the buying process people will hand over to machines. Physical stores, he argues, will continue to thrive in 2026 and beyond.
A Veteran of Retail Predictions
Ron Johnson, 66, has heard predictions about the demise of physical retail before. He joined Apple in 2000 to build its retail business just as online shopping was beginning to take off, and went on to help create a store network that became central to how Apple sells its products and connects with customers.
"AI is a new technology that will improve the online shopping experience," Johnson said in an interview. "But I don't know that it's going to change which way we shop."
The Agentic Commerce Gold Rush
Johnson's view lands as some of the world's biggest tech companies push AI deeper into shopping, betting that agents can automate more of how we find and buy items β a concept now widely called agentic commerce.
Google is advancing that push with its Universal Commerce Protocol, a standard designed to help AI agents guide consumers from product discovery through checkout. OpenAI, meanwhile, is turning ChatGPT into a shopping destination where users can research, compare, and, in some cases, even buy products without leaving the chatbot.
'Honestly, Nobody's Going to Do That'
Asked whether he could imagine someone letting an agent choose and buy a $1,000 or $2,000 laptop without ever visiting a website or a store, Johnson was unequivocal: "Honestly, nobody's going to do that."
Buying a laptop, he argued, is too personal a purchase to simply delegate to an AI agent. Buyers want to feel its weight, see the display, and decide which size works for them. AI may narrow the choices, Johnson told TechCrunch, but many consumers will still want to experience the product themselves before spending that kind of money.
"AI will never be able to have you physically experience a product," Johnson said.
Instead, he expects agents to better inform consumers before they walk into a store. "They'll just become more informed shoppers when they come to the store."
The Apple Store Playbook
Johnson's conviction stems from a decision Apple made more than two decades ago. Apple's physical stores, he said, were designed not only as places to buy Macs, but also as places where people could try products, learn how to use them, and return for help when something went wrong.
Some of those bets are revisited in Shop Different: How Retail Revealed Apple's Genius, Johnson's new book about building Apple's retail operations alongside Steve Jobs. Competitors, he said, borrowed Apple's glass-heavy design, open layouts, and even versions of the Genius Bar β but often missed the people.
"The secret sauce for Apple has always been its people, the people in the store, and how they treat the customer," Johnson said.
via TechCrunch AI