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Ronald Wayne: No regrets over £13.6 billion Apple share sale

Working alongside Jobs and Wozniak, Wayne was given a 10 per cent share in Apple

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Often referred to as the 'third founder' of Apple Computers, Ronald Wayne has revealed he has no regrets over selling his share in the company.

Working alongside Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Wayne was given a 10 per cent share in Apple but quickly sold them for just $800 in 1976.

A report in the News Of The WorldApple's Ronald Wayne this morning claims those shares would now likely be worth £13.6 billion. Under the headline 'If Only iPad Known,' Wayne tells the tabloid newspaper he has no regrets over the decision.

"If I had stayed I would be incredibly wealthy but I would have wound up the richest man in the cemetery - dying of a heart attack."

"The thing that made me pull out was that Jobs had borrowed $15,000 to buy the materials to make computers."

"I was in debt for $1,500 - my ten per cent of that - and I had no idea where I would get that money.

"I had enough stress in my life and I couldn't take any more. I was looking for a quiet life."

The tabloid reports Wayne, 75, who now lives on a small state pension, in a modest home in the retiree town of Pahrump, Nevada, US, had no idea Apple would become such a big company.

"I made my decision on the information I had at the time and it was the correct one. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I have no regrets."

"I could be wealthy. People are always asking me, 'What if ?' But life is too short. I've got my health, my family and integrity - and that is the best fortune you could ask for."

Comments received


Dragonfly said on Sun, 18 Apr 2010

What would anyone do with £13.6 billion and at age 75 ? That would probably be more depressing than not having the money in the first place.

Selling the shares when they were worth 'just' £3 million would have been just as beneficial. There's only so much any one person can spend.

Sounds like a down to earth character, good luck to him.

meguest2 said on Sun, 18 Apr 2010

that would make him the 15th richest person in the world, above Jim Walton and way above Steve Jobs. How did you figure this????

Dragonfly said on Mon, 19 Apr 2010

Apple is worth around $224 billion (that's about £146 billion). So if he owned 10% of that company and sold his shares, he'd be worth £14.6 billion, minus taxes I guess.

If Steve Jobs owns a lot of Apple shares, and he sold those, he'd add that to his total. Steve also owns 7% of Disney which works out to about $4.9 billion.

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