Steve Wozniak
"Invention means everything to me. When I was young, I read stories about people that would invent contraptions to solve problems, and to entrap aliens, and fly into outer space, and pretty much that was like a lot of kids. I said, Boy, I’d love to be one of those people that invents the new things and goes the new direction."
Steve Wozniak invented the personal computer (PC) and founded Apple Computer Inc. with Steve Jobs. With the introduction of the Apple I and Apple II computers, Wozniak‘s work was essential in launching the personal computer industry.
Wozniak grew up in San Jose, California, which would become the epicenter of Silicon Valley, and has had a lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics. He briefly enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder and then returned to the San Francisco Bay Area and attended the University of California, Berkeley.
After working at several small electronics firms, Wozniak took a position designing calculators at Hewlett-Packard Co. Here, he met future Apple Inc. co-founder and fellow NIHF Inductee Steve Jobs.
In 1975, Wozniak began developing his first major project: the Apple I PC. Just one year later, he and Jobs co-founded Apple Computer, and began selling the rudimentary systems out of Jobs’ garage.
The Apple I was revolutionary. It consisted of a green circuit board separately connected to a keyboard and a video monitor. Wozniak had designed it to plug into any home television and be used with almost any computer keyboard. Though it lacked a power supply and casing, it introduced the foundation of the modern desktop computer.
In 1977, Wozniak introduced the more refined Apple II. It featured a central processing unit, a keyboard, a floppy disk drive and color graphics. With both groundbreaking engineering and visual appeal, the Apple II significantly elevated the company’s market value.
In 1981, Wozniak returned to his studies at UC Berkeley. He earned his degree in electrical engineering and computer science in 1986.
Wozniak holds 4 U.S. patents and his technological achievements have influenced many aspects of everyday life. With his development of the PC, he blazed the trail that moved the computer industry forward and transformed the way people across the world consume and share information. In recognition of his pioneering work, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1985. He also has received the Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment.
Throughout his life, Wozniak has been involved in a variety of business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on supporting computer capabilities in schools, promoting hands-on learning, and encouraging students to create and innovate. He has provided educators and students with hands-on teaching and learning resources and has made donations of state-of-the-art technology. Wozniak established the Electronic Frontier Foundation and is the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.
"My father told me that as an engineer, you can change your world and change the way of life for lots and lots of people," Wozniak said. "To this day, I still believe engineers are among the key people in the world."