Meet the man who sold $300B shares for $800

Luck and smartness are crucial factors in the tech industry. Being in the right place at the right time can make any person a billionaire or at least a millionaire overnight. Here is the story of one such person who had an inverted trajectory.

The man in discussion here is Ronald Wayne. Apple Inc., one of the world�s most valuable companies, was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. While Jobs and Wozniak became tech legends, Ronald Wayne is often forgotten despite being a co-founder.

Wayne, born in 1934, was 21 years older than the other two and brought experience to the team. He drafted Apple�s first partnership agreement, designed the original logo, and wrote the user manual for the Apple I.

However, just 12 days after forming Apple, Wayne sold his 10% stake for $800. Later, he received $1,500 more to forfeit any future claims. His decision stemmed from fear unlike Jobs and Wozniak, Wayne had assets and had already faced a failed business. He didn�t want to risk personal financial ruin if Apple collapsed.

In 1980, Apple went public at $22 per share, raising over $100 million and creating 300 instant millionaires. Had Wayne held onto his stake, it would be worth over $200�300 billion today.

It turned out to be that Wayne had sold all his shares, which were around $800 at that point in time. Had he held on this, he would have been a multi billionaire now with over 300 billion in valuation.