Who doesn’t knows Steve Wozniak? Apple’s co-founder and tech wizard Wozniak is one of the most revered personalities of the Silicon Valley. Though he is not directly associated with Apple any more, he keeps inspiring the inventors with his words and presence at various events. This Friday, he will appear at the upcoming Silicon Valley Comic Con event for the sake of enjoying “the nerd side of things.” While speaking with Fortune, Wozniak discussed his views on a variety of subjects like his former company’s behavior, influence of money on the Silicon Valley and his introvert side.
In response to the question regarding the changing landscape of the Silicon Valley, Wozniak said that things have changed indeed. Businesses now, have no interest in making the world a better place, because they are being started by business people, and not engineers. These business people enter the Valley for the sake of money making along with “a quick exit plan” like selling the business for quick money. When he began his career with Steve Jobs, all he thought was that once the company turns profitable, it stays with the owner forever.
He also said that he does not invest because he is not fond of money. He believes that money could corrupt ones values. He also said that he has never longed for being into the “more than you could ever need” category.
Speaking on the success of software giants like Facebook, Wozniak said that Microsoft has always been a successful software entity therefore the success of other software companies is not baffling anymore. Even Apple, which always believed in building hardware and software all together, is now building just the software part of self-driving cars.
Steve Wozniak also quoted Amazon’s and SpaceX’s dream of materializing commercial space travel by saying that all the breathtaking milestones, which completely changed the world, such as iPhone, Google or Facebook, have been the product of someones thought. SpaceX and Blue Origins are another such ideas emerging from the minds of individuals who are planning something “very risky.”
Steve Wozniak believes that space exploration comes down to engineering and scientific knowledge. Such ventures do require a lot of funding, but still, recalling the achievements of NASA with such a brief funding, the strides of such big private players(Musk and Bezos) does not surprise him anymore.
When he was asked whether Google Apple would become even bigger by the year 20175, he said he doesn’t know. He also mentioned that everyone should only do what they are best at. Apple is good at making products but this doesn’t mean it should try and build every single product in existence.
Talking about himself and his Twitter feed, Wozniak said that he has never been a pro in socializing, and doesn’t find himself fitting for social networks. Therefore, he skips Facebook and Twitter despite of having 5000 friends on Facebook. But he does prefer Foursquare for some reasons. Oh and he also mentioned having a street in San Jose after him. Sweet, right?
