Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800 in 1976—today it’d be worth up to $400 billion

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne's signatures on the bottom of Apple's founding contract. (Credit: Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

• Apple’s little-known third cofounder, Ronald Wayne, was originally given a 10% stake in the now $4 trillion computer company. He cashed out just 12 days after Apple’s inception for $800, and said at the time he had no regrets. As Apple celebrates 45 years since its IPO, Wayne may not be celebrating as his stake today would be worth billions. 

In some history books, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are known as the two college dropouts-turned-geniuses who founded the Apple Computer Company in 1976. However, for the first 12 days of the business’s existence, there was a lesser-known third cofounder who played a critical role in getting the company off the ground.