http://news.techworld.com/sme/3220848/apple-co-founder-who-sold-his-share-for-800-has-no-regrets/?intcmp=nws-mdb-rtd
Ronald Wayne’s 10% share in Apple would be worth £13.6bn
By Nick Spence | Macworld UK
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 percent share in Apple but quickly sold them for just $800 in 1976.
A report in the News Of The World 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."
