[News Inside] The Genius Developer Overshadowed by Steve Jobs... Enters the Space War

Steve Wozniak, Apple Co-Founder

▲ Steve Wozniak

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A genius developer overshadowed by Steve Jobs. This is the story of Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple.

Wozniak co-founded Apple with Jobs but remained relatively unknown compared to Jobs. Technically, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Wozniak established Apple, as he is regarded as an outstanding developer, yet he is recorded as a tragic genius overshadowed by Jobs' fame.

Wozniak grew up under his father, who developed missiles at Lockheed, showing talent in engineering from a young age. He attended the University of California, Berkeley but dropped out and then joined Hewlett-Packard (HP).

His time working at HP became a crucial turning point that shaped who he is today. While working at HP, he nurtured his dream of developing computers and also met Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder, there.

Wozniak proposed to HP management the idea of creating a personal computer but was rejected. At that time, companies like HP and IBM focused mainly on enterprise computers and large printers for blueprint output.

Then one day, a fateful meeting between Wozniak and Jobs occurred. Jobs, then a middle school student, was assembling a high-frequency meter by himself but lacked some parts, so he called William Hewlett, one of HP’s founders, to request spare parts. Impressed by this initiative, William Hewlett offered Jobs a chance to work briefly on the frequency meter production line, and three years later, in 1971, Jobs visited HP.

▲Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs at the founding of Apple

While Jobs was working at HP, he and Wozniak built a friendship, and together they participated in a computer club called the 'Homebrew Computer Club,' where in March 1976 they created a prototype personal computer. Wozniak presented it to HP and proposed mass production but was rejected again.

It seemed that Wozniak and Jobs’ dream was about to be crushed, but Paul Terrell, a member of the Homebrew Computer Club, showed interest and requested to supply the device to his store, the 'Byte Shop,' to sell it.

This was the moment 'Apple' was born. Jobs, Wozniak, and Ron Wayne founded Apple Computer. Despite many ups and downs, Apple was established, but the start was not smooth. Ron Wayne took only 10% of the Apple shares he was entitled to and left the company. However, over time, word of mouth spread, and more people sought Apple computers. About 200 units were sold over roughly 10 months, and Jobs and Wozniak earned around $8,000 in profit.

The following year, in 1977, Wozniak began to thrive by developing Apple’s new computer. Through this, Jobs and Wozniak made a significant amount of money. Apple’s new computer continued production until 1993, with cumulative sales reaching 5 million units.

Along with Apple’s success, Jobs and Wozniak, who were thriving, began to experience a rift in their relationship in the 1980s.

▲Steve Wozniak

In February 1981, Wozniak suffered a severe injury and amnesia when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed, leading him to take a leave of absence for treatment. During his leave, he returned to school and graduated, then rejoined Apple in 1983. However, Apple had split into the Macintosh division and the Apple division, competing against each other. Shocked that the company was not what he had envisioned, Wozniak decided to sell all his shares and leave Apple in 1985.

After leaving Apple, Wozniak devoted himself to volunteer work and education projects. He conducted computer education programs for children and repeatedly emphasized the importance of early education through online platforms.

The importance of early education seems to stem from his own experience. His father, Francis Jacob Wozniak, was an engineer in the electronics field and worked in military sectors such as missiles at Lockheed.

Growing up in this environment, Wozniak began creating electronic devices with friends from the age of 11 and obtained an amateur radio license in the 6th grade.

Recently, Wozniak entered the space race by founding the private space company 'Privateer Space' together with Alex Fielding, founder of Ripcord.

As a result, the private space sector, previously led by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson, has now become a four-way competition including Wozniak. However, unlike other billionaires such as Musk, Wozniak focuses more on the environment than tourism. Last month, Wozniak released a press statement about a 3D titanium alloy printer and introduced Privateer Space as a new satellite company aimed at cleaning up space debris.