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Stephen Wozniak biography

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Quick Facts

  • Nickname: Woz
  • ZODIAC SIGN: Leo
more about Stephen

Best Known For

Stephen Woznaik co-founded Apple Computer, Inc. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne. He created the Apple I and the Apple II.

Synopsis

Stephen Wozniak co-founded Apple Computer, Inc. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Wozniak met Jobs six years earlier through a mutual friend, and the pair went on to create their first computer, the Apple I, shortly followed by the personal computer, Apple II. He published his autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It in 2006.

Founding Apple Computer

The son of an engineer at Lockheed Martin, Stephen Wozniak was fascinated by electronics even as a child. Although he was never a star student in the traditional sense, Wozniak had an aptitude for building working electronics from scratch.

During his brief stint at the University of California at Berkeley, Wozniak met Steve Jobs through a mutual friend. The two paired up to form Apple Computer on April 1, 1976, prompting Wozniak to quit his job at Hewlett-Packard.

Working out of a family garage, he and Jobs attempted to design a more user-friendly alternative to the computers being introduced by International Business Machines (IBM).

After founding the company, Wozniak and Jobs created the Apple 1, a so-called "Homebrew" design built largely in Jobs' bedroom and garage. With Wozniak's knowledge of electronics and Jobs' keen eye for creative design, the two were well-suited to do business together. By 1983, the company which began in Jobs' garage had a stock value of $985 million. Wozniak ended his employment with Apple in 1987.

Personal Life

In February of 1981, Wozniak was injured when the private plane he was piloting crashed while taking off from the Santa Cruz Sky Park. His painstaking recovery lasted two years as he suffered from a variety of injuries and amnesia.

Not one to flaunt his personal life, Wozniak is married to Janet Hill, an Apple education development executive. The less-notorious of the original Apple Inc. duo, Wozniak has nevertheless made appearences on the reality show "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" and season eight of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."

Later Career

Following his accident and subsequent recovery, Wozniak went on to found numerous ventures, including CL 9, the company responsible for the first programmable universal remote control.

Called one of "Silicon Valley's most creative engineers," in 1990 he joined Mitchell Kapor in establishing the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization which provides legal aid for computer hackers facing criminal prosecution. Wozniak also founded Wheels of Zeus (WoZ) in 2001, a venture started with the aim of developing wireless GPS technology.

After WoZ closed in 2006, he published his autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It. Three years later, he joined the Salt Lake City-based start-up Fusion-io as its chief scientist. 

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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