# Steve Wozniak

Stephen Gary Wozniak (born August 11, 1950), known as Woz, is an American technology entrepreneur and engineer who co-founded Apple Inc. with Steve Jobs in 1976 and was the primary designer of the Apple I and Apple II computers, key products in the personal computer revolution.

Stephen Gary Wozniak (born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname Woz, is an American technology entrepreneur, electrical engineer, computer programmer, and inventor. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Inc. (originally called Apple Computer) with his early business partner Steve Jobs. Through his work at Apple in the 1970s and 1980s, he is widely recognized as one of the most prominent pioneers of the personal computer revolution. In 1975, Wozniak started developing the Apple I into the computer that launched Apple when he and Jobs first began marketing it the following year. He was the primary designer of the Apple II, introduced in 1977, known as one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputers, while Jobs oversaw the development of its foam-molded plastic case and early Apple employee Rod Holt developed its switching power supply.

Wozniak has also been involved in philanthropy, particularly in education, and has received numerous awards for his contributions to technology. As of June 2024, he has remained an employee of Apple in a ceremonial capacity since stepping down in 1985. In addition to his American citizenship, Wozniak is also a Polish and Serbian citizen.

## Early Life and Education

Stephen Gary Wozniak was born on August 11, 1950, in San Jose, California. His mother, Margaret Louise Wozniak (née Kern), was from Washington state, and his father, Francis Jacob "Jerry" Wozniak, was an engineer for the Lockheed Corporation. Wozniak graduated from Homestead High School in 1968 in Cupertino, California. He has one brother, Mark, and one sister, Leslie. The name on his birth certificate is "Stephan Gary Wozniak," but his mother intended it to be spelled "Stephen," which he uses. Wozniak is of Polish and German ancestry.

In 1969, Wozniak was expelled from the University of Colorado Boulder in his first year for hacking the university's computer system. He re-enrolled at De Anza College before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, in 1971. In June of that year, he designed and built his first computer with his friend Bill Fernandez, named "Cream Soda" after their favorite beverage, using punch cards and 20 TTL chips. A newspaper reporter accidentally stepped on the power supply cable, destroying the computer, but it served as a prelude to his later work.

## Career at Apple

In 1975, Wozniak began designing the Apple I, largely to impress members of the Palo Alto–based Homebrew Computer Club, a local group of electronics hobbyists. The Apple I was a significant step in the microcomputer industry. In 1976, he co-founded Apple Computer with Steve Jobs. The Apple II, introduced in 1977, became one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputers, with Wozniak as its primary designer.

With human–computer interface expert Jef Raskin, Wozniak had a major influence over the initial development of the original Macintosh concepts from 1979 to 1981, when Jobs took over the project following Wozniak's brief departure due to a traumatic airplane accident. After permanently leaving Apple in 1985, Wozniak founded CL 9 and created the first programmable universal remote, released in 1987.

## Later Ventures and Philanthropy

After leaving Apple, Wozniak pursued several business and philanthropic ventures, focusing largely on technology in K–12 schools. In 1990, he initiated a project to place computers in schools in the former Soviet Union. He has also helped fund entrepreneurial efforts in areas such as GPS and telecommunications, flash memory, technology and pop culture conventions, technical education, ecology, and satellites.

In recent years, Wozniak has shown interest in [artificial-intelligence](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) and its development. He has commented on the potential risks and benefits of [generative-ai](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) and [large-language-model](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model) technologies, though he is not directly involved in their creation. His perspective as a veteran engineer adds to discussions about the future of computing.

## Awards and Recognition

Wozniak has received numerous awards and honors for his work in philanthropy and the tech industry, including an induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000. He is often celebrated for his role in the personal computer revolution, alongside other pioneers. His contributions to [Apple](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/apple) and the broader technology landscape have been widely acknowledged.

## Personal Life and Citizenship

Wozniak is married and has children, though details of his personal life are not widely publicized. In addition to his American citizenship, he holds Polish and Serbian citizenship, reflecting his heritage and connections. He has remained an employee of Apple in a ceremonial capacity since 1985, as of June 2024.

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/steve-wozniak
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-09-12T16:26:05.793622+00:00