The story about how the third Apple founder sold out for $800 isn’t quite right

Syndication March 16, 2026

The story about how the third Apple founder sold out for 0 isn’t quite right

Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne has chosen the company’s 50th anniversary to reveal that the conventional wisdom about how he got out of the company and sold a 10% stake in the company for $800 is wrong — but he’s splitting a very expensive hair.

Elderly man in a suit speaks into a microphone at a seated event, surrounded by listening attendees, including a man in a red polo shirt beside him.

Apple co-founder Ronald Wayne at the Computer History Museum — image credit: CHM

Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne — but Wayne left after 12 days. Now at a Computer History Museum celebration for Apple’s 50th anniversary, Wayne said that it wasn’t true he had ever sold the stake in Apple he had as a founder.

“I actually never sold my 10%,” said Wayne, and then repeated it. “The story that’s been floating around for decades about $800… that I had sold [my stake] for $800, that was totally inaccurate.”

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