Steve Wozniak

Who He Was

Steve Wozniak, known as Woz, is an American computer engineer and co-founder of Apple Computer. Born in California in 1950, he grew up fascinated by electronics, learning about circuits from his father, an engineer at Lockheed. Working largely alone in the mid-1970s, Wozniak designed and hand-built the Apple I and Apple II computers, writing both the hardware and the software himself. The Apple II, released in 1977, became one of the first mass-produced personal computers and helped launch the personal computer revolution. His designs were celebrated for their elegance and efficiency, using fewer chips than competitors thought possible. After stepping back from Apple, he returned to college to finish his degree and devoted much of his career to teaching and advocating for computer science education in schools. 

Why He Matters

Steve Wozniak showed that a single engineer with great technical skill and a love of problem-solving can change the world. He has said repeatedly that he never built anything to get rich; he built things because solving the problem was fun. The Apple II put computers into homes, classrooms, and small businesses for the first time, proving that computers need not be massive, expensive machines locked away in corporate offices. His designs are still studied by engineers today for their creativity and efficiency. His decision, after Apple, to spend years teaching and volunteering in local schools reinforced a different kind of legacy: the idea that the greatest engineers are not just builders but also people who make sure others have the chance to build.