Steve Jobs After Leaving Apple in 1985
After Apple removed him in 1985, Steve Jobs founded NeXT Inc. and invested in the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm, which became Pixar Animation Studios. He focused on high-end workstation hardware, software platforms, and long-term equity in animated film production, a period often described as his wilderness years from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s.
NeXT launched its first workstation in 1988 and later shifted to software, while Pixar secured a landmark distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company in 1991. By the mid-1990s, Jobs was running a software company and a studio that was producing commercially successful films, setting the stage for his return to Apple.
NeXT, Pixar, and the Path Back to Apple
NeXT developed the NeXTSTEP operating system and hardware, with the company going public in 1990 and later shifting entirely to software. In 1996, Apple acquired NeXT for roughly $429 million, bringing Jobs back as an advisor and later interim CEO in 1997, a move that reshaped Apple’s product strategy and corporate structure.
Pixar went public in 1995 and released Toy Story in 1995, establishing itself as a major entertainment company. Jobs remained the largest individual shareholder in Pixar while leading Apple’s turnaround, with both companies later achieving market capitalizations above $3 trillion and $3 trillion respectively, according to public market data.
Financial Impact and Legacy of Steve Jobs in the 1990s
The 1990s positioned Jobs to lead Apple through a period of major product launches and financial recovery, including the iMac, iPod, iTunes Store, and iPhone in subsequent years. His combined stakes in Apple and Pixar, along with the NeXT acquisition, created a foundation for one of the most valuable company trajectories in modern market history.
Public filings and financial reports show Apple’s market capitalization grew from roughly $2 billion in 1997 to over $3 trillion in later years, while Pixar became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney in 2006. The 1990s decisions around NeXT, Pixar, and Apple’s product direction remain central to understanding Jobs’s long-term financial and strategic influence.