Apple founders not only Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. One name that is perhaps not as well known is Ron Wayne, who together with the two above figures jointly initiated the founding of Apple.
Yes, in 1976, Wayne joined Jobs and Wozniak to found Apple, which at that time was still a small company. But two weeks later, Wayne sold his then 10% stake for $1,500 and refocused on his old job at the company Atari.
Wayne apparently couldn't stand developing the company from scratch. Besides, Wayne was feeling too old and somewhat traumatized by having failed in business. He was indeed about 20 years older than Jobs and Wozniak.
Wayne, who is currently 88 years old, admits that he has no regrets even if he stays and keeps a stake in Apple, he will become one of the richest people in the world. At this time, Apple's market capitalization in the range of USD 2 trillion. So if it's not sold, Wayne's ham is worth $200 billion!
It was Jobs who invited Wayne to co-found Apple and offered him a 10% stake at the time. A grown-up Wayne was seen as being able to mediate if a fight broke out between Jobs and the young and ambitious Wozniak.
"He has a more mature mentality and has a strong formula for how the company runs," Wozniak said of Ron Wayne.
"I'm so excited to participate in being a part of something that has really great expectations and something that I think will be a real success," Wayne said of his participation at Apple.
"Do I regret selling my stake in Apple? No, that was my answer from day one and will be my answer to the death," he was quoted as saying by News.com.au.
After selling his stake, Wayne remained an advisor to Apple. He had helped design the Apple logo at that time. No wonder Wayne was so lost when Jobs died.
"With so much potential ahead of him and his immense creativity, we can only imagine what might have crossed his mind if he had lived 20 years longer."