Apple was founded on 1 April 1976 by three people, not two, and in October 2026 its market value closed above $5 trillion for the first time. Here are 15 facts about Apple, from its 1976 start to this year's CEO change and its first foldable iPhone.
| Year | Apple moment |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne |
| 1980 | IPO on the Nasdaq at $22 a share |
| 1985 | Jobs leaves to start NeXT |
| 2007 | Jobs unveils the iPhone |
| 2011 | Jobs dies; Siri launches with the iPhone 4s |
| 2018 | First US company to reach $1 trillion |
| 2026 | Ternus becomes CEO; market value passes $5 trillion |
1. Apple had three founders
Apple Computer Company was founded as a partnership on 1 April 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Its first product was the Apple I, designed by Wozniak and hand-built. To finance production, Jobs sold his Volkswagen Bus and Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator, and together they raised $1,300.
2. Ronald Wayne reportedly sold his 10% stake for $800
Wayne left within weeks, and reports say he gave up his 10% share for $800, with later payments bringing his total to a few thousand dollars. On paper, 10% of a $5 trillion company is $500 billion, though his stake would have been diluted over the years. Wayne, born in 1934, is 92 in 2026. He disputes that he sold his stake outright.
3. Apple went public in 1980
Apple became a public company on 12 December 1980. It sold 4.6 million shares at $22 each, raising more than $100 million, the largest IPO since Ford in 1956. By the end of the first day its market value reached $1.778 billion, and more than 300 employees and investors became millionaires.
4. Steve Jobs left Apple in 1985
After a power struggle with CEO John Sculley, whom Jobs had recruited from PepsiCo in 1983, Jobs left and founded NeXT. Apple later struggled, and in 1997 it bought NeXT for $427 million in cash, stock, stock options and assumed debt. Jobs took 1.5 million Apple shares as part of the deal and returned as an advisor.
5. Microsoft invested $150 million in Apple
In August 1997, Jobs secured a $150 million investment from Microsoft and a commitment to keep developing software for the Mac. The deal was widely seen as a lifeline for a company that was in trouble.
6. The iPhone was unveiled on 9 January 2007
Jobs unveiled the first iPhone at Macworld in San Francisco on 9 January 2007, and it launched that June. That is why Apple’s product ads traditionally show the time as 9:41 AM, the moment the iPhone was revealed during the keynote.
7. Siri arrived the same month Jobs died
Steve Jobs died on 5 October 2011. That same month, Apple released the iPhone 4s, which introduced Siri, the built-in intelligent assistant.
8. The iPod came from an outside engineer
Apple recruited Tony Fadell, a former employee of General Magic and Philips, who had a business idea for a better MP3 player and music store. He had previously developed the Philips Velo and Nino PDAs. Apple hired him in 2001 as an independent contractor to work on the iPod, code-named P-68.
9. The iPod aquarium story
The story goes that Jobs dropped a first iPod prototype into water, saw air bubbles rise and said that they proved there was unused space inside, so it could be smaller. It is a famous tale of his perfectionism, though it is a story that is told rather than something we can document.
10. Apple reached $1 trillion in 2018
On 2 August 2018, Apple became the first publicly traded US company to reach a $1 trillion market value.
11. $2 trillion came in 2020
On 19 August 2020, Apple’s share price briefly topped $467.77, making it the first US company with a market capitalization of $2 trillion.
12. Apple passed $5 trillion in October 2026
Apple’s market cap closed above $5 trillion for the first time on 14 October 2026, making it the second public company to do so after Nvidia. The stock closed at $347.73 on 23 October 2026, which by our estimate puts the company at roughly $5 trillion.
13. Tim Cook handed over the CEO job in 2026
On 1 September 2026, Tim Cook stepped down as CEO after 15 years and became executive chairman. John Ternus, who joined Apple’s product design team in 2001, succeeded him.
14. Apple now sells a foldable iPhone
The iPhone Duo has a 7.6-inch folding display and a 5.4-inch outer display, and is powered by the A20 Pro chip. It starts at $1,999 and went on sale on 23 October 2026.
15. Apple’s lineup keeps growing
Apple’s new Pro phones, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, start at $1,199 and $1,299, and the lineup also includes the iPhone 17, 17e and iPhone Air. This is a far bigger range than the single iPhone Jobs showed in 2007.
Watch on Alux
We went deeper into less known facts in this video.
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FAQ
Who founded Apple?
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne founded Apple on 1 April 1976.
How much was Apple worth in October 2026?
Apple's market cap closed above $5 trillion for the first time on 14 October 2026.
Who is Apple's CEO?
John Ternus became Apple's CEO on 1 September 2026, succeeding Tim Cook, who is now executive chairman.
Why do Apple ads show 9:41?
Jobs unveiled the first iPhone at around that time in his keynote on 9 January 2007, so the time became a tradition in product images.
What is Apple's newest product?
The iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable, went on sale on 23 October 2026 from $1,999.
How did Ronald Wayne lose out?
He reportedly sold his 10% stake for $800 weeks after founding, though he disputes that he sold it outright.
How we put this list together
We checked each fact against company history, public filings and current Apple announcements in October 2026, and dropped older claims we could not confirm. Market value figures come from closing share prices, and our estimates are labelled.
Last updated: October 2026.
