Computers
Have You Met Ron Wayne, Co-Founder of Apple?
When you think about the founders of Apple Computer, you think about Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. But there was a third co-founder of the company, and his name is Ron Wayne.
So why don’t most people know who Ron Wayne is? After all, Wayne drew the first Apple logo, wrote the three men’s original partnership agreement, and wrote the Apple I manual.
He served as the venture’s “adult supervision”, and with that came a 10% stake in Apple. But less than two weeks later, he relinquished his stock for $800! Had Ron Wayne stayed on, his Apple shares would be worth $22 billion today.
Ouch!
So why leave? The failure of a slot machine company Wayne had started five years earlier left him with thousands of dollars in debt. He was concerned that Apple would rack up debt, that he would legally be obligated to pay as a partner of the company. Since Wayne had personal assets that could be seized if things went south, he decided to sell his stake in the company.
When interviewed by CNN, Wayne said he doesn’t let himself wonder how things could have been different if he had chosen to stay with Apple. He claimed that he did not regret selling the stock as he had made the “best decision with the information available to me at the time.”
That’s a pretty crazy story, don’t you think?
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Rich Lavene
December 19, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I just heard this story last week. He says he has no regrets, but that’s a tough one to live with!
CJ
December 19, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Yeah, it reminds me of Brian Dunkleman’s story.. Co-host of the first season of American Idol, and walking away from millions. 🙁
Rich Lavene
December 20, 2011 at 10:52 am
Did Brian Dunkleman walk away? Or did they just not bring him back?
CJ
December 20, 2011 at 11:02 am
From what I read, he walked away because he didn’t like the way the contestants were being treated..
But other reports state that he was on thin ice as it was, and he might not have been asked to return for a second season.
Rich Lavene
December 20, 2011 at 4:37 pm
I saw some of the initial shows on Idol Rewind….he was awful…clearly out of his league with Seacrest.
Francesco
December 20, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Interesting, I did not know about Ron Wayne.
Jim
December 31, 2011 at 7:04 am
Making the best decision you can at the time is nothing to be ashamed of. Someone could be a few thousand dollars in debt, bring all their savings to a casino and win millions – but that doesn’t mean they made a smart decision.