Steve Wozniak open to returning to Apple if asked

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said in an interview this week that he would consider returning to an active role at the company he helped start if asked.



During an interview in England this week, Wozniak said, "I'd consider it, yeah," when asked whether he would play a more active role if asked, Reuters reports.



Wozniak, Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer in 1976. Wozniak left his full-time role with the company in 1987, but remains an employee and shareholder of Apple.



Since leaving Apple, Wozniak has been involved in a wide range of entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavors. He currently serves as Chief Scientist for storage company Fusion-io.



Meanwhile, Jobs is currently taking an indefinite leave of absence to focus on his health, though he remains CEO of Apple and continues to be involved in strategic decisions.



Wozniak, who has widely been acknowledged as the technical genius behind Apple's early success, believes that he has a lot to offer the company he helped start, which went on to become the world's second-largest company in terms of market value.



"There's just an awful lot I know about Apple products and competing products that has some relevance, some meaning. They're my own feelings, though," Wozniak said during the interview.



When asked his opinion on Apple today, Wozniak praised the company for its track record with recent products. "Unbelievable," he said, "The products, one after another, quality and hits."



Even so, Wozniak admitted that he'd prefer Apple's devices to be more open, so he can "get in there and add [his] own touches." Last December, Wozniak revealed that he had purchased a DIY kit for the iPhone 4 and "modded" the device into the as-yet-unreleased white version.



"My thinking is that Apple could be more open and not lose sales," said Wozniak, while adding, "I'm sure they're making the right decisions for the right reasons for Apple."



Wozniak has been committed to openness since the beginning. In December, Wozniak told reporters that he didn't design the original Apple I to make a lot of money and had given the designs away for free after his former employer HP showed no interest in the computer.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 141
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Why in the world would Apple want him back? He never outgrew the 70's and he hasn't had anything intelligent to say about the market for 20 years.



    Meanwhile, he can't even keep a secret - blabbing all around the world about the Apple products he HAS been able to see. So Apple can't trust him.



    It would be a huge mistake.
  • Reply 2 of 141
    mzaslovemzaslove Posts: 519member
    Pete Best always said he'd return to the Beatles if he were asked. I think he's still saying that....
  • Reply 3 of 141
    shobizshobiz Posts: 207member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Why in the world would Apple want him back? He never outgrew the 70's and he hasn't had anything intelligent to say about the market for 20 years.



    Meanwhile, he can't even keep a secret - blabbing all around the world about the Apple products he HAS been able to see. So Apple can't trust him.



    It would be a huge mistake.





    Put him to work for one of their partners. That way he would never know what is going to happen until the rest of the world does.



    [Sarcasm]



  • Reply 4 of 141
    macinthe408macinthe408 Posts: 1,050member
    The people that say they don't do it for the money are the ones with Brinks trucks parked on their gilded driveways.
  • Reply 5 of 141
    myapplelovemyapplelove Posts: 1,515member
    no point for Woz at apple, doesn't really bring anything to the table.
  • Reply 6 of 141
    k.c.k.c. Posts: 60member
    I needed a little comic relief at the end of the week.



    This more than sufficed.
  • Reply 7 of 141
    8corewhore8corewhore Posts: 833member
    Woz is loved around the world. He's a rock star. He would be a huge asset to Apple. I think he is now, just by association. That said, he'd either have to get a leadership role or get with the program. I don't think he'd want to do the latter, and Jobs might not want him for the former.



    But there's always a possibility.
  • Reply 8 of 141
    bonklersbonklers Posts: 54member
    once a genius, always a genius.

    i have no doubt that he would be valuable to the company.



    plus, he does seem like the type of guy that was NOT in it for the money. Please dont bad mouth Steve Wozniak, without him there would be no apple.
  • Reply 9 of 141
    Sad, just sad.
  • Reply 10 of 141
    archer75archer75 Posts: 204member
    Woz is a great guy, i'd love to see him back at apple.
  • Reply 11 of 141
    nvidia2008nvidia2008 Posts: 9,262member
    It won't happen while Steve is in charge. Maybe a few years after Steve has left, then Apple might ask him to come back to revive some "magic".



    I don't want to get personal about what Woz is or isn't, but while Steve is around, he ain't coming back.
  • Reply 12 of 141
    Has he done anything since co-foundling Apple? There's that Segway thing that didn't catch on and never did revolutionize human transport... He did date that female comic. Oh wait, I got it, he carries a lot of gadgets, maybe that's why he should be considered by Apple.



    His resume is pretty lackluster...



    If I were him, I would want to work for Apple too, since all his other achievements and business ventures have been pretty pathetic.
  • Reply 13 of 141
    DO IT, STEVE!!!

    You guys have no imagination. I'd put Steve to work on a 35th Anniversary Limited Edition Apple I retro replica, complete with wooden case, xeroxed copies of the documentation as originally written by Jobs. Real ones are housed in The Smithsonian.



    Yeah, I know: won't happen. Steve Jobs is notorious for not looking back. He's too busy creating the post-PC future, why go back & waste money recreating the past? I wouldn't mind it if Woz recreated those Blue Boxes that they used to steal long distance from AT&T back when Jobs was a long haired hippie with a VW microbus, hanging out in Berkeley. Now they're partnering with AT&T. The irony.
  • Reply 14 of 141
    Bring back the WOZ!



    Get the band back together!
  • Reply 15 of 141
    The reason WOZ was so effective in Apple's beginnings is due to Job's focus and business acumen. I believe if he was given a role with the appropriate leash he could be huge asset.



    Everybody loves him, he can have great ideas but definitely needs moderation. Can you imagine him coming out as part of a "One more thing...." segment with a new product he was involved with building? As long as he didn't say anything stupid (high risk admittedly) he could be a huge PR asset. He could really give Steve J a run for his money as a charismatic presenter.
  • Reply 16 of 141
    I love the guy, but...does anybody but me think iOS would be Android if Woz still worked for Apple?
  • Reply 17 of 141
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mac-sochist View Post


    I love the guy, but...does anybody but me think iOS would be Android if Woz still worked for Apple?



    no, because we wouldn't be running the company.
  • Reply 18 of 141
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sofabutt View Post


    Has he done anything since co-foundling Apple? There's that Segway thing that didn't catch on and never did revolutionize human transport... He did date that female comic. Oh wait, I got it, he carries a lot of gadgets, maybe that's why he should be considered by Apple.



    His resume is pretty lackluster...



    If I were him, I would want to work for Apple too, since all his other achievements and business ventures have been pretty pathetic.



    Actually, Woz started teaching for some time. I admit I don't know his current status, but I don't think it is fair to say his resumé is lackluster. But after his plane crash he sort of became a different person, as head injury patients often do.
  • Reply 19 of 141
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Carrier Wave View Post


    Sad, just sad.



    Agreed.

    All the demeaning posts by a bunch of pricks are unnecessary.
  • Reply 20 of 141
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    Key words IF ASKED



    I don't see Apple ever asking so it is a non issue.
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