{"id":393620,"date":"2023-05-13T11:40:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T11:40:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insidebitcoins.com\/?page_id=393620"},"modified":"2023-07-31T13:10:43","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T13:10:43","slug":"steve-wozniak-net-worth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/insidebitcoins.com\/bitcoin-investors\/steve-wozniak-net-worth","title":{"rendered":"Steve Wozniak Net Worth, Crypto and NFT Investments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millionaire Steve Wozniak, commonly referred to as “Woz”, is an American electronics engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, and technology entrepreneur. He’s famous for being one of the founding fathers of Apple, and the main brain behind the Apple II computer that projected Apple into the Limelight. <\/span>However, many expected the net worth of Steve Wozniak to be around $10 to $15 billion due to his relationship with Apple. He’s nowhere near the valuation owing to his philanthropy. On numerous occasions, Steve Wozniak gave out his Apple shares to some of the engineers working at the firm. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Steve<\/p>\n

Also, he sold a significant portion of his stock in Apple when he left in 1985. Presently, he’s left with about $15 million worth of Apple Shares. Likewise, he lost a significant portion of his net worth sponsoring technological festivals that failed to turn in profits. <\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Wozniak’s Net Worth<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>\nNet Worth<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
2019<\/td>\n$120 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2020<\/td>\n$135 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2021<\/td>\n$100 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022<\/td>\n$120 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2023<\/td>\n$140 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Early Life<\/h2>\n

Born on August 11, 1950, in San Jose California as Steve Gary Wozniak. Initially, his birth certificate contained “Stephan Gary Wozniak” but his mother Margaret Louise Wozniak instead said he should be called Steve. His Father Francis Jacob Wozniak worked as an engineer for Lockheed Corporation. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1968, Wozniak graduated from Homestead High School, in Cupertino, California. Also, his sister, Leslie Wozniak attended the same high school as Steve. She worked as a grant adviser at Five Bridges Foundation. The foundation helps at-risk youths in San Francisco. Steve’s other sibling, Mark Wozniak is a former tech executive who lives in Menlo Park. <\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Wozniak advanced his education at the University of Colorado Boulder. However, he was expelled in his first year for hacking the university’s computer system. Thereafter, he returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969. He was nicknamed Berkeley Blue in the phreaking community for his blue box design. <\/span><\/p>\n

He re-enrolled at De Anza College in Cupertino. Steve Wozniak transferred to the University of California, Berkeley two years later. He made significant progress with his computer design project by building his first computer alongside a friend, Bill Fernandez. Wozniak and Fernandez achieved this success through a self-taught engineering project. By mistake, a newspaper reporter stepped on the power supply cable and blew up the computer. However, the project served as future guidelines for other computer projects he designed.  <\/span><\/p>\n

How Steve Wozniak met Steve Jobs<\/h2>\n

Later, Steve Wozniak dropped out of the University of California, Berkeley before Hewlett-Packard (HP) employed him. There, he built calculators for the firm. During his time at HP, he met Steve Jobs through Fernandez. Jobs also worked briefly for HP. In 1971, Wozniak and Jobs began their first collaboration. Wozniak gained inspiration for building blue boxes after reading an article titled “Secrets of the Little Blue Box”. He designed the blue boxes to aid long-distance phone calls without any charges. Jobs assisted Wozniak in selling the blue boxes, selling two hundred pieces at $150 each. Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs split the proceeds from the sales of the blue boxes among themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three years later, Jobs was employed by an arcade game firm, Atari in California. At Atari, he was designated to create a circuit board for the arcade video game Breakout. The firm offered him $100 per chip he could eliminate in the machine. Jobs couldn’t do the job on his own due to his little knowledge of circuit board design. He then made a deal with Wozniak to minimize the chips and then promised to split the fee evenly between them. Steve Wozniak reduced the chips by 50 using RAM for the brick representation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Atari couldn’t use the new design by Steve Wozniak because it had no scoring and coin system. Nevertheless, the firm paid Steve Jobs as promised, including a full bonus that amounted to $5,000. However, Jobs lied to Wozniak that he was only paid $700, resulting in Wozniak taking $350 from the pay. <\/span><\/p>\n

In 1975, Wozniak began the design and development of the computer that would eventually make him famous, the Apple I. Initially, Steve Wozniak designed the computer to impress members of the Homebrew Computer Club. The club consisted of a local group of electronics hobbyists interested in computing. The club focused on building the microcomputer industry over the next few decades. Steve Wozniak’s new Apple design was exceptional, unlike other custom Homebrew designs. The computer had an easy-to-achieve video capability that attracted huge attention when it was unveiled. Wozniak credited watching Star Trek and attending Star Trek conventions while in his youth as a source of inspiration for the design of the Apple Computer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Apple<\/h2>\n

After starting the Apple I project in 1975, Steve Wozniak completed the fundamental design of the Apple I computer on March 1, 1976. He singlehandedly designed the hardware, circuit board designs, and operating system for the computer. Before starting the Apple project alongside Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak offered the design to HP while working there, but was rejected by the company on five occasions. Steve Jobs then urged Wozniak to start a business of their own to build and sell bare printed circuit boards of the Apple I. Steve Wozniak refused at first, but after much persuasion from Steve Jobs, he gave in. Jobs convinced him that they could at least tell their grandchildren that they had their own company even if the project wasn’t successful. <\/span><\/p>\n

The two partners have to sell their properties to fund the building of the first batch of circuit boards. Steve Wozniak sold his HP scientific calculator while Jobs sold his Volkswagen van. Exactly a month after Steve Wozniak completed the design of Apple I, he formed the Apple Computer Company alongside Steve Jobs. The firm developed into what is generally known as Apple Inc. today. At the inception of the company, Ronald Wayne served as the administrative supervisor. The name “Apple” was coined for the new company shortly after Jobs returned from Oregon and told Wozniak about how he spent his time spent on an apple orchard there.<\/span><\/p>\n

After establishing Apple, Jobs, and Wozniak traveled to meet the Homebrew Computer Club to present the fully assembled version of the Apple I. Luckily, Paul Terrell was present and he was about to open a new computer shop in Mountain View, California. Terrell saw the presentation and was impressed by the functions of the Apple I. Terrell ordered 50 units of the Apple I and paid $500 each on delivery. However, he insisted that Jobs must assemble the computer fully because he was not interested in buying bare printed circuit boards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wozniak followed Jobs to his parent’s home in Los Altos where they assembled the first boards. At first, they worked in Jobs’ bedroom before shifting to the garage because there was no space left. Wozniak’s apartment in San Jose wasn’t considered because it was filled with monitors, electronic devices, and computer games that he had developed. They were able to meet the demands of Terell that year and they sold the Apple I for $666.66. <\/span><\/p>\n

In November 1976, Apple gained more financial backing after Jobs and Wozniak received significant funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product marketing manager and engineer, Mike Markkula. Meanwhile, Wozniak still retained his job at HP despite the creation of Apple. Markkula requested Steve Wozniak resign from HP. Eventually, he left, picking up the role of the vice president in charge of research and development at Apple. Apple I had strong competitors in the market which hindered its total acceptance. This prompted Wozniak and Jobs to consider designing a new version. Nonetheless, the Apple I was considered a high success. <\/span><\/p>\n

The emergence of Apple II and Apple III<\/h2>\n

After the success of the Apple I, Wozniak designed the Apple II. The Apple II is widely regarded as the first personal computer with the ability to display color graphics. Also, the computer is dubbed as the first with an in-built BASIC programming language. It is worth mentioning that Steve Wozniak gained the inspiration of designing the Apple II to display the color graphics from Atari. According to Wozniak, the gaming firm’s first arcade games simulated colors. He conceived a way of putting colors into the NTSC system by using a US$1 chip. <\/span><\/p>\n

While designing the Apple II, Jobs, and Wozniak had a heated argument. They disagreed on the number of expansion slots the new project should have. Wozniak wanted eight while Jobs insisted on Two. During the argument, Wozniak threatened Jobs that he should leave Apple and create another company if he was not satisfied. In the end, they agreed on eight, leading to the unveiling of the Apple II during the April 1977 West Coast Computer Faire. The project was a success as it gained much attention in the market. Due to that, It became one of the first highly successful mass-produced personal computers in the world. Alongside the Apple II, Wozniak designed the Disk II floppy disk drive in 1978. Initially, it was designed for the Apple II as a replacement for cassette tape storage. <\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Wozniak made a significant financial breakthrough that introduced him to the world of millionaires. In 1980, Apple went public, helping both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to grow financially. This breakthrough laid the foundation for the net worth of Steve Wozniak. That year, the firm released the Apple III but it was discontinued four years later. The Apple III was a commercial failure. As a matter of fact, Steve Wozniak admitted that it had 100% hardware failures. Unlike the other versions, the Apple III was designed by the marketing department for commercial boost. <\/span><\/p>\n

Departure from Apple<\/h2>\n

On February 7, 1981, Steve Wozniak suffered a plane crash at the Sky Park Airport in Scotts Valley, California. Wozniak wasn’t certified to man the plane. As a result of the crash, he suffered severe face and head injuries, including losing a tooth. Also, he suffered anterograde amnesia for five weeks after the plane crash. At one point, he didn’t remember his name while in the hospital or the things he did for a time after he was released.<\/span><\/p>\n

After recovering from the crash, Steve Wozniak didn’t return to Apple. Later on, Wozniak lost interest in engineering and design stating he wanted to start afresh. To some extent, computer games on Apple II helped him regain his memory. He left Apple temporarily in 1981 and enrolled at UC Berkeley to complete his Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. He made a return to Apple three years later after failing to make a profit from an event-sponsoring firm, Unuson. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite his return to Apple, Steve Wozniak began to feel like the firm was hindering him from being who he wanted to be. He preferred engineering to management, but he couldn’t work in any engineering capacity due to the growing addition of talented engineers to the firm. Gradually, Steve Wozniak began to feel like he was no longer needed at Apple. In 1985, Steve Wozniak left Apple, selling most of his stock in the company. Meanwhile, Steve Wozniak has not left Apple technically because he never resigned or officially severed his relationship with the firm. Up to this moment, Steve Wozniak is listed as an employee of Apple and receives an annual stipend of $120,000 for representing the company at public events.<\/span><\/p>\n

Life After Apple<\/h2>\n

After leaving Apple, Steve Wozniak established CL 9 in 1985. The firm developed the first programmable universal remote control to market in 1987, known as the “CORE”. Also, he ventured into teaching computer at elementary schools in a bid to impact knowledge. Through Unuson, he provided funds to support schools in employing more teachers and equipment.<\/p>\n

Also, in 2001, he founded Wheels of Zeus (WOZ) in a bid to design wireless GPS technology to “help everyday people find everyday things much more easily.” The firm shut down five years later. Thereafter, Steve Wozniak founded Acquicor Technology. The firm is a holding company through which he acquired technology firms and developed them, alongside other Apple alumni like Hancock and Amelio. He joined the board of directors of Danger, Inc. Steve Wozniak served as the Chief Scientist of Fusion-io between 2009 to 2014.<\/p>\n

Alongside Rick White, Trip Hunter CEO, he co-founded Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC). SVCC is an annual pop culture and technology convention at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. He went on to establish Woz U in October 2017. The firm provides educational technology services for independent students and employees. Towards the end of 2020, Wozniak launched another company known as Efforce. Efforce is regarded as a marketplace for funding ecologically friendly projects. <\/span><\/p>\n

Steve Wozniak’s Investment Portfolio<\/h2>\n

Wozniak is notable for his numerous investment portfolios. According to Forbes, he is an influential investor in the stock market. Steve Wozniak reportedly owns stocks in about 15 companies, a development that has significantly impacted his net worth. Some of the firms in his investment portfolio includes Hewlett Packard, Morgan Stanley, Nike and many more.<\/p>\n

Steve Wozniak’s Real Estate and Car Garage<\/h2>\n

Steve Wozniak is notable for his luxurious lifestyle. He owns a magnificent apartment in San Jose, California. He reportedly bought the 12,200 square feet apartment for $19 million. In 2015, Wozniak sold his former Los Gatos home to to pharmaceutical entrepreneur Mehdi Paborji for $3.9 million.<\/p>\n

Apart from his magnificent abode, Steve Wozniak is also a proud owner of luxurious cars. Recently, he added a Bugatti Divo to his garage for $7 million. Some of the highly expensive car brands in his garage include Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Alfa Romeo Giulia, a Ferrari Portofino and a Lexus GX.<\/p>\n

Is Steve Wozniak Pro Bitcoin?<\/h2>\n

Steve Wozniak has proven to be a great proponent of Bitcoin. The Apple co-founder has never hidden his admiration for the largest crypto by market cap. He believes in the growth potential of Bitcoin and sees it as the only trustable digital assets. Wozniak has over time, hyped Bitcoin with the intention to aid its widespread popularity and adoption. In one of his recent interviews, Wozniak hyped Bitcoin as the only crypto that is pure-gold mathematics. According to him; “the government can just create new dollars, and borrow and borrow. You never have it fixed. Bitcoin was the goal. It’s the digital equivalent of Gold. Bitcoin is the most amazing mathematical miracle.”<\/p>\n