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Steve Wozniak        

Co-Founder of Apple Computer, Inc.

A Silicon Valley icon, technology entrepreneur and philanthropist for more than forty years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple’s first line of products the Apple I and II. He also influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak’s Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry. He is listed as the sole inventor on four Apple patents.

In 1981, he went back to UC Berkeley and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. To date, Wozniak has received ten Honorary Doctor of Engineering degrees. In May 1982 and 1983, Wozniak, founded the company Unuson, an abbreviation of "unite us in song”, which sponsored two US Festivals. Initially intended to celebrate evolving technologies, the festivals ended up as a technology exposition and a rock festival as a combination of music, computers, television, and people.

For his achievements at Apple, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America’s leading innovators. In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.

Through the years, Wozniak has been involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on, experiential learning that encouraged creativity and innovation by students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, he adopted the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment.

He also founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. In 2014, he was awarded the Hoover Medal, a prestigious honor given for “outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity,” and was inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame. In 2015, Wozniak received the Legacy for Children Award from the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. The Legacy for Children Award honors individuals whose legacy has significantly benefited the learning and lives of children. The Cal Alumni Association (UC Berkeley's Alumni Association) presented Wozniak with the 2015 Alumnus of the Year Award.

Wozniak is the author of iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon (Norton Publishing), his New York Times best-selling autobiography. His television appearances include: ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, The Big Bang Theory, My Life on the D List, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Conan, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Celebrity Watch Party.

Wozniak continues to pursue his entrepreneurial and philanthropic interests to this day. In October 2017, Steve co-founded Woz U — a postsecondary education and training platform focused on software engineering and technology development.

When Woz and his wife, Janet, are not traveling the world trying to inspire the next generation or building sustainable businesses, they live a happy life in Los Gatos, California with their four Bichon Friese dogs Ziggy, Zelda, Jewel and Wozzie.

Speech Topics


Remarks by Steve Wozniak

Steve Wozniak takes a very customized approach to each presentation he delivers and speaks directly with the event host to ensure a topical focus that is unique, conversational and an excellent tie-in with the overall event. The result is a highly personalized, unforgettable talk delivered by one of the most influential pioneers of the technology industry.

Mr. Wozniak’s core areas of interest are: - The founding of Apple computer - How to foster creativity and innovation in a technical environment - How to breed an entrepreneurial mindset in a corporate culture - iWoz, his autobiography - Robotics and automation - Education

Education & Robotics

The Founding of Apple Computer, Inc.

Entrepreneurship

Innovation

Creativity

News


Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak to Keynote Postgres Vision 2016
19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Steve Wozniak, aka "The Woz", Co-founder, Apple® Computer Inc. will keynote Postgres Vision 2016, the international conference for  ...
Steve Wozniak to Speak on the Future of Apps and Software ...
Xamarin, the leading enterprise mobility solution, today announced the addition of several industry leaders to its Xamarin Evolve 2016 speaker lineup,
Steve Wozniak discusses his inaugural Silicon Valley Comic Con ...
Last week I sat down with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to hear about his newest creation, Silicon Valley ... Posted Mar 16, 2016 by Fitz Tepper (@ fitztepper) ...
Steve Wozniak: School is not enough, go beyond it
Steve Wozniak, co-founder and designer of Apple's first computer, says education is important, but don't let a textbook limit ... Friday, 22 Apr 2016 | 7:00 AM ET.
Steve Wozniak's predictions for the next 40 years
Forty years after Apple started, co-founder Steve Wozniak outlined his tech ... Steve Wozniak: We were so young & naive Friday, 1 Apr 2016 | 5:22 PM ET.
Steve Wozniak on Apple vs. FBI: I'm with Apple on this one
Even though he's not working there anymore, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak always has an opinion on all things Apple, and he doesn't shy from saying it in public. On Monday, Woz was a guest on Conan, where he shared his thoughts on Apple's firm denial to help the FBI install a backdoor into an iPhone that once belonged to one of the terrorists behind the San Bernardino terrorist attack.

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