Barry Diller
The John and Diane Sculley Lecture
The title of Barry Diller’s lecture is that of his memoir, Who Knew?, which was released in 2025 to wide acclaim and was a New York Times best-seller.
Barry Diller is celebrated as a Hollywood innovator, a commerce trailblazer and an internet visionary. He is currently the Chairman and Senior Executive of InterActiveCorp (IAC) and of Expedia Group. From October 1984 to April 1992, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fox and was responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company, in addition to Fox’s motion picture operations. Before joining Fox, Barry Diller served for 10 years as Chairman and Chief Executive of Paramount Pictures Corporation. In addition to Paramount, he became President of the conglomerate’s newly formed Entertainment and Communications Group in March 1983. This included Simon & Schuster, Madison Square Garden Corporation and SEGA Enterprises. Prior to joining Paramount he served as Vice President of Prime Time Television for ABC Entertainment. In the 1990s he acquired and operated QVC (Quality Value Convenience), which became a retail giant by selling products directly to television viewers through live demonstrations.
Barry Diller has served as Producer on numerous Broadway shows, including The Music Man, The Lehman Trilogy, West Side Story, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Humans.
The John and Diane Sculley Lecture
John Sculley is a prominent figure in American business, best known for his decade-long tenure as Apple’s CEO. His journey from leading Pepsi, where he launched the blind taste tests against Coca-Cola for the ‘Pepsi Challenge’, to steering one of the world’s most innovative tech companies highlights a blend of visionary marketing and contentious leadership decisions that have left a lasting impact on Apple’s history. As Apple’s CEO from 1983 to 1993, Sculley oversaw significant advancements, including the launch of the Macintosh, the rise of desktop publishing, and the introduction of the first multimedia computers. Under his leadership, Apple’s revenue surged by over 1000%, and the Mac became the best-selling personal computer globally. Sculley’s expertise in areas like data science innovation and consumer brand building played a crucial role in these achievements. Diane is the Founding Vice President and designer of Wittmann Building Corporation, a high-end residential home builder, and is also the founder and CEO of Sculley Speaks.