Who Is the Founder of Apple Company
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne cofounded Apple Inc in 1976 in Cupertino, California, United States. The company was formally incorporated on January 3, 1977, with Jobs, Wozniak, and Wayne as the original founders. Wayne sold his 10% stake back to Jobs and Wozniak within 12 days for $800, making him the least-remembered cofounder. Today Apple is the most valuable publicly traded company by market capitalization, with its headquarters at Apple Park in Cupertino. The company designs, manufactures, and sells consumer electronics, software, and online services worldwide. You can read the official corporate history on the Apple Investor Relations page Apple Investor Relations.
What Is the Net Worth of the Apple Founder
Steve Jobs held about 20% of Apple stock at the time of his death in 2011, and his estate has controlled the Steve Jobs Trust. Forbes estimates the Jobs family fortune from Apple and other holdings, including Disney shares acquired through the Pixar acquisition, in the billions of dollars. Steve Wozniak has publicly shared that he earned tens of millions from Apple stock sales early on and later focused on education and philanthropy. Ronald Wayne, the third cofounder, left the company early and did not participate in its later growth. Current Apple CEO Tim Cook, who joined Apple in 1998 and became CEO in 2011, receives a total annual compensation package that includes a base salary, bonus, and long-term incentive units tied to Apple stock performance. You can check the latest compensation disclosures on the SEC page SEC.
How the Founder Built Apple Into a Global Company
Apple introduced the Apple II in 1977, the Macintosh in 1984, the iPod in 2001, the iPhone in 2007, and the iPad in 2010. The company went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange in 1980 under the ticker AAPL. Under Tim Cook, Apple has expanded its services segment, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, iCloud, Apple Pay, and the App Store. Apple currently operates more than 500 retail stores across more than 25 countries and regions, and its products are sold in many additional markets through authorized resellers and carriers. The company has consistently ranked among the top companies in the Fortune Global 500 and the Forbes Global 2000 lists. You can explore Apple's latest financial results on the Forbes page Forbes.