The little-known Apple co-founder who sold his stake in the computing giant for a measly R4000 has paid tribute to Steve Jobs, who died this week.
Ronald Wayne is known as Silicon Valley's "what if" personality. Unlike co-founders Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who make up the list of the world's richest men, Wayne spends his days in the small town of Pahrump, Nevada.
The trio founded Apple in 1976, only for Wayne to sell his stake 12 days later after fearing the start-up would go bust.
Today, his shares in Apple would have made him an estimated $30-billion.
Wayne this week told ABC 13 Action News he knew back then Jobs and Wozniak were "geniuses".
He still owns the original partnership agreement that gave him a 10% share in the company.
"Neither Jobs nor Wozniak at that time had two dimes to rub together. I was the adult in the room. I was 20 years their senior, and if push came to shove, I was the only guy that somebody could reach through the structure and grab," he said.
He said he had no regrets about selling his stake and was amazed by the level of success Jobs achieved.
Last year, Mercury News tracked him down and reported his favourite pastime was going to the town's small casino to play one-arm bandits. It called him Apple's very own iMadeAHugeMistake.
The report said Wayne survived on a government pension and sold stamps for extra income.
But he has shown no bitterness and praised Jobs this week, telling Action News: "Who knows what else his imagination might have put together if he would've been granted the extra 20 years that I've been given ... sometimes it just ain't fair."
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 