Ronald Wayne facts for kids

Ronald Gerald Wayne was born on May 17, 1934. He is an American business executive who is now retired. He helped start the Apple Computer Company, which is now known as Apple Inc.. He co-founded it with Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs on April 1, 1976.

Ronald Wayne was in charge of administrative tasks and creating important documents for the new company. Just twelve days later, he sold his 10% share of Apple back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800. A year later, he accepted another $1,500 to give up any future claims to the company. Many people in the media often call him the 'forgotten founder' of Apple.

Early Life and Education

Ronald Wayne was born in Cleveland, Ohio. This was on May 17, 1934. He went to the School of Industrial Art High School in New York City. There, he learned how to be a technical draftsman. This means he learned to draw detailed plans for machines and products.

Career Highlights

In 1956, when he was 22, Ronald Wayne moved to California. In 1971, he started his first business. He designed and made slot machines. However, this business did not succeed and closed within its first year. He spent a year paying off the debts from this venture.

Working at Atari (1973–1976)

Ronald Wayne worked as a Senior Designer at Atari. He created the official systems for documents and materials. This helped Atari keep track of its inventory. It made manufacturing more efficient. It also stopped the company from losing money due to lost or duplicated materials.

His documentation system included instructions and diagrams. These were for all the arcade games Atari sold. As a product development manager, he designed video game cases. He also helped develop games like Gran-Track Racing. His time at Atari ended when another company bought it.

Starting Apple (1976–1977)

In 1976, Ronald Wayne was well-known for his excellent documentation systems. He met Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak while working at Atari. Jobs and Wozniak often had intense discussions about computers. Wayne invited them to his home to help them talk through their ideas.

During their two-hour conversation, Jobs suggested starting a computer company. Wozniak and Jobs would each own 45% of the company. Wayne would get a 10% share. This was so he could help them make decisions if they disagreed. Wayne was 41 years old and saw himself as the "adult in the room." He wrote the first partnership agreement. The three of them officially started Apple Computer on April 1, 1976.

Wayne also created the very first drawings for the Apple logo. This logo was known as Apple Newton. He also wrote the instruction manual for the Apple I computer.

Why Ronald Wayne Left Apple

Ronald Wayne had a bad experience with his first business. He had to spend a year paying off debts from it. This made him careful about taking risks. Steve Jobs secured a $15,000 loan to buy parts for Apple's first order. This order was from a company called Byte Shop. Byte Shop was known for paying very slowly. This made Wayne very worried about his own money.

In a partnership, all partners are personally responsible for any debts. Unlike Jobs and Wozniak, who were younger, Wayne had personal savings and property. He was afraid he could lose them if Apple failed. Also, his main interest was in designing products, not in managing documents. He felt he was "standing in the shadow of giants" when it came to product design.

Because of these worries, he decided to leave the company. Twelve days after he helped create Apple, he officially withdrew his name. He was later paid $800 for giving up his share. Steve Wozniak has said that Wayne left after a few months, not just twelve days.

His Thoughts on Leaving Apple

Ronald Wayne has said that he does not regret selling his share of Apple. He believes he made the best decision with the information he had at the time. In 2016, he said his only regret was selling his copy of the original signed contract for $500. That same document was later sold for $1.6 million.

He believed Apple would be successful. However, he also thought there could be big problems along the way. He felt he could not risk it. He said Jobs and Wozniak were like "whirlwinds." He felt he "couldn't keep up with these guys." Even though Apple became one of the most valuable companies in the world, he said that staying with Apple would have been too risky and stressful. He joked that he "probably would have wound up the richest man in the cemetery."

What He Did for Apple

Ronald Wayne made several important contributions to Apple:

• He developed internal documentation and inventory tracking systems. These were first used at Atari and then adapted for Apple.
• He designed the first company logo, known as Apple Newton.
• He created detailed drawings for the Apple-1 computer's circuit board. These drawings helped make many circuit boards for the new computers.
• He wrote the Apple-1 Operations Manual. This manual gave early customers instructions on how to put together and use the new computer.
• For the Apple II, he designed a new way to place the motherboard horizontally. This helped make the computer case smaller and more efficient.

After Apple

After leaving Apple, Ronald Wayne stayed at Atari until 1978. He then worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Later, he joined Thor Electronics, an electronics manufacturing company.

In the late 1970s, Wayne ran a stamp shop for a short time. After some break-ins, he moved his stamp business to his home.

Steve Jobs later asked Wayne to help with a business deal for Apple. Jobs wanted to buy a friend's company. However, Wayne advised his friend not to sell the company. He thought his friend should instead license the technology to Apple. Wayne later said he regretted interfering with this decision. He felt he should have let Jobs and his friend talk directly.

Media Appearances

Ronald Wayne appeared in a documentary called Welcome to Macintosh in 2008. In the film, he shared some of his early experiences with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

In July 2011, Wayne published a book about his life. It was titled Adventures of an Apple Founder. He also wrote a book about society and economics. It was called Insolence of Office and was released on October 1, 2011.

Personal Life

Ronald Wayne lives in Pahrump, Nevada.

See also

In Spanish: Ronald Wayne para niños