Here's the Surprising Reason Steve Wozniak Co-Founded Apple - And It Wasn't to 'Make Money'

Wozniak said the original goal behind Apple was not to make money or start an industry. He wanted to design and build his own personal computer and have other engineers appreciate his ideas. He sought recognition more than financial success. In the 1970s, he worked at Hewlett-Packard, where he found stability and an engineering community while developing a personal computer concept. He presented the idea to managers five times, but Hewlett-Packard rejected it each time. After the repeated refusals, he reconsidered his approach and agreed to Steve Jobs’ plan to launch Apple independently. He later told Gen Z graduates that careers can follow unconventional, nonlinear paths.

"“When you try things, they don't have to be for obvious money,” Wozniak said earlier this month in a commencement address at Grand Valley State University. “When we started Apple, did I want to make money? Start a company? Start an industry? No.” Wozniak said his motivation was far simpler: He wanted to design and build his own personal computer and impress other engineers in the industry. What he wanted more than money was recognition."

"“I wanted other engineers or other computer people to look at my designs and say, 'Whoa' and appreciate me and my brilliance,” Wozniak said. “'How did he come up with these things?'” He described wanting validation from peers who could evaluate the technical work. The focus was on admiration for the designs rather than on financial outcomes or broad business ambitions."

"In the 1970s, Wozniak took a job at Hewlett-Packard (HP), the company he imagined would define his career. At HP, he found stability and a community of engineers who shared his passion - but he was also developing a bold idea behind the scenes: a personal computer that individuals could own and use themselves. Wozniak brought the concept to his managers not once, but five separate times, hoping the company would see its potential."

"Each time, HP passed. The repeated rejections forced him to reconsider his path, and gradually he decided to act on an alternative he had initially resisted - he agreed to J"

Read at Entrepreneur