Steve Wozniak was born to Margaret and Francis Wozniak on August 11, 1950 in San Jose, California (Biography). His father being an engineer, it was natural for him to be surrounded by electronics throughout his early childhood. As a result, he developed a passion for technology and was gifted in building his own working electronics. In 1987, he attended the University of California, where he got a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. During his early college years, Wozniak was introduced to Steve Jobs, who was still in high school at the time.
The two Steves became great friends and embarked on many projects together. Some of these projects were less than professional. Their mutual love of pranks and technology inspired them to
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He sustained many different injuries, as well as amnesia, and took two years to recover. At the hospital, much of his time was spent “...playing video games and convincing his old Homebrew Computer Club friend, Dan Sokol, to smuggle in pizza and milkshakes.” (Today). This was the beginning of Wozniak distancing himself from his job. He terminated his career at Apple in 1985, claiming that “...he enjoyed engineering, not management, and as other engineers joined the growing company, he no longer felt needed at Apple…” (Biography). However, he wound up returning to Apple a few years later. Upon seeing the evolution of the company since his exit, he only became more frustrated. He was particularly annoyed by the lack of attention on the Apple II division of the company, and so he left once again.
Wozniak never took his name off the employee list, so he is still technically an employee and receives a stipend from Apple of about $120,000 per year. He joked in an interview with CNBC that “...since he reported to the late Steve Jobs, he can’t be fired.” (Shinal). Since his career at Apple, he has completed his degree at UC Berkeley, taught elementary school computer classes, and worked on several other miscellaneous projects. Today, he has a wife and five children, lives in Los Gatos, California, and continues to represent Apple at interviews and