When people ask “who owns Apple,” they often expect a single name a founder, a billionaire, or a famous CEO. The reality is both more complex and more fascinating. Apple Inc. is a publicly traded company, meaning it is owned by millions of shareholders around the world, from large institutional investment firms to everyday retail investors. But to truly understand Apple’s ownership, you need to travel back to a garage in California in 1976 and follow one of the most dramatic corporate stories in history.
This guide covers Apple’s ownership from its very first day to today including the founders who started it all, the IPO that opened it to the public, the turbulent middle years, and who the biggest shareholders are right now.
Ownership vs Leadership: An Important Distinction
Before diving into history, it’s worth clarifying a concept that confuses many people: ownership and leadership are not the same thing at a public company. The CEO and the board of directors manage and make decisions for a company, but they do so on behalf of the shareholders the people and institutions who actually own it.
Tim Cook, Apple’s current CEO, is one of the most powerful executives in the world. But he is, ultimately, an employee of the company’s shareholders. Understanding this distinction is key to understanding every chapter of Apple’s ownership story.
The Founders: Who Originally Owned Apple?
The Founding Trio (1976)
Apple Computer Company was founded on April 1, 1976, in Los Altos, California, by three men: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The original ownership structure was straightforward Jobs held 45%, Wozniak held 45%, and Wayne held 10%.
Steve Wozniak, the engineering genius of the group, designed the original Apple I computer almost entirely on his own. Steve Jobs, the visionary entrepreneur, recognized its commercial potential and drove the effort to sell and market it. Ronald Wayne, the lesser-known third co-founder, was an older, more experienced businessman who helped draft the original partnership agreement and designed Apple’s first logo.
Wayne’s story is one of history’s great “what ifs.” Just 12 days after the company was founded, he sold his 10% stake back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800. He later received an additional $1,500 as part of a buyout settlement. Had he held onto that stake, it would have been worth hundreds of billions of dollars today. Wayne has said publicly that he made the right decision for himself at the time, given his personal financial situation and risk tolerance.
Early Investors and the Company’s First Major Backer
In 1977, a pivotal figure entered the picture: Mike Markkula, a retired Intel executive who had made a fortune from his Intel stock options. Markkula invested $250,000 of his own money into Apple and helped the founders secure a line of credit. In exchange, he received a one-third stake in the newly restructured Apple Computer, Inc., which was incorporated in January 1977.
Markkula’s involvement did more than just provide capital. He brought credibility, business experience, and a structured company culture that transformed Apple from a two-man operation into a real business. As more investors came on board including venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and Arthur Rock the founders’ ownership percentages were further diluted, but the overall value of the company grew enormously.
The Public Era: How the 1980 IPO Transformed Apple’s Ownership
Apple Goes Public (December 12, 1980)
On December 12, 1980, Apple Computer held its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The shares were priced at $22 each. Within minutes, every share had been sold, making it the most successful IPO since Ford Motor Company went public in 1956. Apple’s market capitalization on day one was approximately $1.78 billion.
The IPO fundamentally changed who owned Apple. Rather than a handful of founders and private investors, the company was now owned by thousands of public shareholders. Steve Jobs, who held a significant stake at the time of the IPO, became a paper millionaire many times over his shares were worth more than $217 million on that first day. The IPO also created more than 300 Apple millionaires among employees who held stock options.
Ownership Shifts in the 1980s and 1990s
The 1980s brought dramatic change to Apple’s leadership and to Steve Jobs’ personal stake in the company. In 1985, following a power struggle with then-CEO John Sculley and the Apple board of directors, Steve Jobs was effectively pushed out of the company he co-founded. After his departure, Jobs sold virtually all of his Apple shares, reportedly retaining only a single share so he could continue receiving shareholder communications.
Through the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, Apple struggled. The company went through several CEOs John Sculley, Michael Spindler, and Gil Amelio and its stock price languished. Ownership during this period was diffuse, spread among public shareholders with no dominant individual owner steering the ship. By 1997, Apple was widely considered to be just 90 days away from bankruptcy.
The Return of a Founder: The NeXT Acquisition (1997)
In December 1997, Apple made the decision that would ultimately save the company: it acquired NeXT Computer for approximately $427 million. NeXT was the company Steve Jobs had founded after leaving Apple in 1985. The acquisition brought back Jobs, his team, and crucially, the NeXTSTEP operating system that would form the foundation of Mac OS X.
Jobs initially returned to Apple as an unpaid advisor, then became interim CEO famously agreeing to a salary of $1 per year, a symbolic gesture since his real wealth came from his Apple stock options and his ownership stake in Pixar Animation Studios (which Disney would later acquire for $7.4 billion in 2006). He dropped the “interim” title in 2000 and became full CEO.
Over the following years, as Apple’s stock soared with the release of the iMac, the iPod, the iTunes Store, the iPhone, and the iPad, Steve Jobs accumulated stock options that made him a significant individual shareholder once again. By the time of his death in October 2011, he was Apple’s largest individual shareholder, with a stake estimated to be worth around $2 billion.
Who Owns Apple Today?
It’s a Public Company You Can Own It Too
Today, Apple Inc. (ticker symbol: AAPL) trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange and is one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a market capitalization that has regularly exceeded $3 trillion. As a public company, Apple is owned by every person and institution that holds its stock from giant pension funds managing trillions of dollars to individual investors who own a single share.
Anyone with a brokerage account whether through a platform like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, or a smartphone app can become a part-owner of Apple by purchasing shares of AAPL stock. With fractional shares now available on many platforms, you don’t even need to buy a full share to have a stake in the company.
The biggest “owners” of Apple are not famous individuals they are large institutional investment firms that manage money on behalf of millions of clients, pensioners, and investors. These firms hold Apple stock in index funds, mutual funds, and other investment vehicles.
The top institutional shareholders of Apple typically include:
- The Vanguard Group consistently one of the top two largest shareholders, holding several percent of all outstanding Apple shares on behalf of its index fund investors.
- BlackRock the world’s largest asset manager, also holds a significant multi-percent stake through its various funds.
- Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett’s investment conglomerate is Apple’s most famous large shareholder. Buffett has called Apple one of his best investments, and Berkshire has held a stake worth hundreds of billions of dollars at its peak.
- State Street Global Advisors another massive index fund manager that holds Apple shares across a wide range of funds.
Tim Cook, the Board of Directors, and What They Actually Own
Tim Cook has served as Apple’s CEO since August 2011, when a gravely ill Steve Jobs stepped down just weeks before his death. Cook has been a central part of Apple’s leadership since 1998, when Jobs recruited him from Compaq. Under Cook’s leadership, Apple’s market cap has grown from roughly $350 billion to over $3 trillion.
Cook is a shareholder, but not a controlling one. He holds Apple shares and stock awards that vest over time, making him a wealthy man but his stake represents a fraction of a percent of the overall company. He is, ultimately, an employee hired by the board of directors to run the company on behalf of its shareholders.
Apple’s Board of Directors includes prominent business leaders who are elected by shareholders to represent their interests and oversee company management. The board makes key decisions about executive compensation, major strategic acquisitions, and corporate governance. Every shareholder has the right to vote on board members at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions About Apple’s Ownership
Is Steve Jobs still the owner of Apple?
No. Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His Apple shares are managed by the Steve Jobs Trust, which is overseen by his widow, Laurene Powell Jobs. She remains a significant individual Apple shareholder through the trust.
Who is the current CEO of Apple?
Tim Cook has been Apple’s Chief Executive Officer since August 24, 2011. He joined Apple in 1998 and served in senior operational roles before taking over as CEO.
Does the CEO own Apple?
No. The CEO is an executive hired to manage the company on behalf of its shareholders. Tim Cook holds Apple shares and stock-based compensation, but he does not “own” Apple in any controlling sense. The real owners are the millions of shareholders who hold AAPL stock.
Can I buy a share of Apple?
Yes. Apple is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol AAPL. Anyone with a brokerage account can purchase shares. Many brokerages now also offer fractional shares, meaning you can invest any dollar amount in Apple, even if it’s less than the price of a single full share.
Who was the richest owner of Apple?
In terms of individual shareholders, Steve Jobs held the most influential and well-known stake during the company’s formative years and again after his return in 1997. At the time of his death, his Apple stake was valued at approximately $2 billion. However, the largest monetary stakes in Apple today are held by institutional investors like Vanguard and BlackRock, whose combined holdings are worth hundreds of billions.
What is the largest company that owns part of Apple?
The Vanguard Group and BlackRock typically compete for the title of Apple’s largest institutional shareholder. Berkshire Hathaway, while holding a smaller percentage, is notable because Warren Buffett’s investment is a deliberate, high-conviction choice rather than an index fund requirement.
What happened to Ronald Wayne’s Apple stake?
Ronald Wayne sold his original 10% stake back to Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak just 12 days after Apple was founded, receiving $800 for it. He later received an additional $1,500. Had he retained his stake, it would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars today. Wayne has said he has no regrets, as he made a rational decision based on his circumstances at the time.
Conclusion
Apple’s ownership story is a microcosm of American business history. It began with three men in a garage two of whom stayed, and one who walked away and has grown into a company owned by millions of investors across every corner of the globe. Along the way, it survived a founder’s ouster, near-bankruptcy, a triumphant return, and the loss of its most iconic leader.
Today, no single individual controls Apple. The largest stakeholders are faceless investment firms managing money for pension funds and retirement accounts. In a real sense, Apple is owned by ordinary people teachers, nurses, and retirees whose index funds hold a tiny slice of AAPL alongside thousands of other stocks.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE BLOG POSTS
“In a world of instant takes and AI-generated noise, John Authers writes like a human. His words carry weight—not just from knowledge, but from care. Readers don’t come to him for headlines; they come for meaning. He doesn’t just explain what happened—he helps you understand why it matters. That’s what sets him apart.”