Most Innovative Companies How Apple became Apple
Apr 2, 2026
Heather Kinlaw Lofthouse, executive director of Inequality Media who builds social videos about civic issues. Robert Reich, former U.S. labor secretary and cofounder of Inequality Media who explains economic power and engagement. Harry McCracken, Fast Company tech editor who compiled an 11,000-word oral history of Apple’s early rise. They dig into Apple’s garage-to-Apple II story, early funding and design instincts, and how short-form media explains inequality today.
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Silicon Valley Donated Parts Fueled Hobbyist Innovation
- Early Silicon Valley engineers and companies donated defective parts and allowed teens like Wozniak to tinker at company sites, easing hardware access for hobbyists.
- Wozniak worked at HP designing calculators and even used HP facilities and parts to develop early Apple prototypes.
A Single Store Order Fueled Apple's First Capital
- The Bite Shop owner Paul Terrell ordered 50 assembled Apple I's, promising $25,000, which allowed Jobs and Wozniak to secure components on credit.
- That single retail order functioned as the startup capital that enabled Apple to transition from kits to a real business.
VisiCalc Made the Apple II A Business Must Have
- VisiCalc spreadsheet turned personal computers into essential business tools and drove Apple II adoption among businesses in 1979.
- Apple shipped floppy drives early, so VisiCalc launched on Apple II first, making the machine attractive to accountants and firms despite its $1,300 price.