Steve Wozniak
Co-Founder of Apple, Author, Philanthropist
A Silicon Valley icon and philanthropist for more than thirty years, Steve Wozniak has helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple's first line of products the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh. In 1976, Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer Inc. with Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. The following year, he introduced his Apple II personal computer, featuring a central processing unit, a keyboard, color graphics, and a floppy disk drive. The Apple II was integral in launching the personal computer industry.
In 1981, he went back to UC Berkeley and finished his degree in electrical engineering/computer science. For his achievements at Apple, Wozniak was awarded the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 1985, the highest honor bestowed on America's leading innovators.
In 2000, he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame and was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for Technology, The Economy and Employment for single-handedly designing the first personal computer and for then redirecting his lifelong passion for mathematics and electronics toward lighting the fires of excitement for education in grade school students and their teachers.
Through the years, Wozniak has been involved in various business and philanthropic ventures, focusing primarily on computer capabilities in schools and stressing hands-on learning and encouraging creativity for students. Making significant investments of both his time and resources in education, he adopted the Los Gatos School District, providing students and teachers with hands-on teaching and donations of state-of-the-art technology equipment. He founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and was the founding sponsor of the Tech Museum, Silicon Valley Ballet and Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose.
Wozniak is Chief Scientist at Primary Data and is a published author with the release of his New York Times best-selling autobiography, iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon by Norton Publishing. His television appearances include reality shows Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, ABC's Dancing with the Stars and The Big Bang Theory. In 2014, he was awarded the Hoover Medal, a prestigious honor given for outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity, and was inducted into the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
FORMAT
Woz's quintessential appearances are in the Chat format; 60 minute dialogues between Woz, a moderator, and the assembled audience. The Chat format offers event hosts tremendous control over the content of the appearance and allows for a more unique and highly interactive experience for the audience. Questions asked of Woz during the Chat can be based on one or a combination of his core topics.
SPEECH TOPICS
Woz takes a very customized approach to each appearance he accepts and speaks directly with the event host to ensure a topical focus that is unique, conversational, and an excellent tie-in with the overall event. The result is a highly personalized, unforgettable experience delivered by one of the most influential pioneers of the technology industry. His core topics include:
The founding of Apple
Innovation and creativity
Entrepreneurship or thinking like an entrepreneur within a larger company
iWoz, his autobiography
Robotics and automation
Education
His personal vision for the future of technology
The Internet of Things
Wearables
Big Data