Steve Jobs
Co-founder of Apple
Quick Facts
- Born
- 1955, San Francisco, California
- Company
- Apple
- Apple founded
- 1976
- Industry
- Technology
- Known for
- Co-founding Apple
- Co-founders
- Steve Wozniak (and Ronald Wayne)
- Famous products
- Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad
- Also started
- NeXT and Pixar
Early Life
Steve Jobs was born in 1955 in San Francisco and was adopted as a baby. He grew up in California, in an area that would later be called Silicon Valley because so many computer companies got their start there. As a kid he was curious, a little stubborn, and drawn to electronics.
He met a guy named Steve Wozniak, who was older and brilliant with circuits and wiring. Woz could build things Jobs could only imagine, and Jobs could sell things Woz would never think to sell. The two of them made a good pair.
Starting Apple
In 1976, Jobs and Wozniak started Apple. A third person, Ronald Wayne, was involved at the very beginning but left after a short time. They worked out of the garage at Jobs's family home, building their first computers by hand.
Their early machine, the Apple II, became a big hit. It was one of the first computers regular people could buy and actually use at home, and it helped turn Apple from two guys in a garage into a real company. In 1984, Apple launched the Macintosh, a computer you controlled with a mouse and pictures on the screen instead of typing in commands.
Leaving and Coming Back
In 1985, after a power struggle inside the company he'd helped build, Jobs left Apple. It was a rough moment. The company he'd started had pushed him out the door.
So he started over. He founded a computer company called NeXT, and he bought a small graphics group that became Pixar. Pixar made "Toy Story" in 1995, the first full-length movie animated entirely on computers, and it was a giant success. Then in 1997, with Apple struggling and close to failing, Jobs came back to run the company he'd founded twenty-one years earlier.
The iPhone Era
Back at Apple, Jobs got to work. First came the iMac, a colorful computer that helped pull the company out of trouble. Then in 2001 came the iPod, a tiny device that held a thousand songs in your pocket.
In 2007 he showed off the iPhone, a phone, a music player, and an internet device all in one piece of glass. In 2010 came the iPad. Jobs cared enormously about how things looked and felt, and he was famous for his keynote presentations, where he'd stand on stage in jeans and a black turtleneck and reveal what Apple had been working on. He died in 2011.
What Steve Teaches Us
Jobs got fired from his own company and came back to make it one of the most valuable in the world. That second act is the part of his story worth remembering. Getting knocked down wasn't the end for him.
He believed that how something works matters as much as what it does, and that ordinary people deserved technology that felt simple and beautiful. Plenty of people thought a computer company couldn't also be an art company. Jobs spent his whole life proving they could be the same thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Apple?
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. A third person, Ronald Wayne, was also involved at the very start but left after a short time. Jobs handled the business and the vision, while Wozniak designed the early computers.
How old was Steve Jobs when he started Apple?
Steve Jobs was 21 years old when he co-founded Apple in 1976. He was born in 1955 and started the company with Steve Wozniak in his family's garage in California.
How did Steve Jobs start Apple?
Jobs started Apple with his friend Steve Wozniak, working out of the garage at his family's home in California. Wozniak designed and built the first computers, and Jobs found ways to sell them. Their early machine, the Apple II, became a big success and turned Apple into a real company.
What did Steve Jobs invent?
Jobs wasn't an engineer himself, but he led the teams that created some of the most famous products in tech: the Macintosh computer, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. He's known for shaping how these products looked, felt, and worked, with a strong focus on simple and beautiful design.
Why did Steve Jobs leave Apple?
Jobs left Apple in 1985 after a power struggle inside the company. The company he'd helped start essentially pushed him out. He went on to found NeXT and buy the company that became Pixar, then returned to Apple in 1997.
What companies did Steve Jobs start?
Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976. After leaving Apple in 1985, he founded a computer company called NeXT and bought the graphics group that became Pixar, the animation studio behind "Toy Story." He returned to lead Apple again in 1997.
Did Steve Jobs create Pixar?
Jobs didn't create Pixar from scratch, but he bought the small graphics group that became Pixar and ran it for years. Under him, Pixar made "Toy Story" in 1995, the first full-length movie animated entirely on computers. He was a major reason the studio succeeded.
Where was Steve Jobs born?
Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California, in 1955. He was adopted as a baby and grew up in California, in the area that later became known as Silicon Valley.
When did Steve Jobs die?
Steve Jobs died in 2011. By then he had led Apple to create the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, helping make it one of the most valuable companies in the world.
What was the first Apple product?
Apple's first products were early computers built by Steve Wozniak and sold by Steve Jobs. The Apple II, released in the late 1970s, was the first big hit and one of the first computers regular people could buy and use at home.
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