Apple’s first head of retail is creating an “Uber for Experts”

As Apple’s first head of retail, Ron Johnson built an empire by designing stores people would actually want to visit, focusing on customer service at almost any cost, and building a high-quality workforce. He then failed to recreate the same sort of magic as CEO of JCPenney, the US department store chain. But now Johnson is back with another spin on retail. Johnson’s new firm, Enjoy—which launched this month in San Francisco and New York—combines e-commerce, customer service, training, and support. Customers can buy a curated selection of gadgets like drones or wireless speakers directly or from a partner site, and then choose when an Enjoy “expert” will deliver it to their home, office, café, or wherever, and teach them how to use it for an hour. But what’s just as interesting is how Johnson intends to build this company: employing a fleet of part-time workers that can pick their own hours, à la Uber, but have the stability and benefits of a full-time, salaried position.