Steve Jobs is widely regarded as a pioneer in the tech industry, revolutionizing the way we interact with technology through innovations like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. His visionary leadership at Apple made him incredibly wealthy, but in a 1996 PBS documentary, he stated that wealth was not something he particularly valued. “I was worth about over $1 million when I was 23, and over $10 million when I was 24, and over $100 million when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important,” he said.
Jobs passed away in 2011 at the age of 56 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a lasting legacy.
Learn more about his net worth, career, and personal life below.
What Was Jobs’ Net Worth?
At the time of his death in 2011, Jobs had an estimated net worth of $7 billion, according to Forbes.
How Did Jobs Build His Wealth?
Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976, introduced the iPhone in 2007, and held major stakes in Pixar and The Walt Disney Company.
At the time of his death, most of his wealth still came from Disney, due to its acquisition of Pixar in 2006. As the largest individual shareholder, he owned approximately $4.47 billion in Disney stock.
Was Jobs Married?
Jobs was married to Laurene Powell Jobs for 20 years.
The two first met when he was giving a lecture at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. As Jobs recalled in Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different: A Biography, “I was in the parking lot, with the key in the car, and I thought to myself, ‘If this is my last night on earth, would I rather spend it at a business meeting, or with this woman?’ I ran across the parking lot, asked her if she’d have dinner with me. She said yes, we walked into town and we’ve been together ever since.”
According to Forbes, Laurene, the founder and president of the Emerson Collective—a firm focused on impact investing, philanthropy, and advocacy in areas such as environmental justice, health, immigration, and education—is now worth $16 billion.
Did Jobs Have Children?
Steve and Laurene had three children together: Reed Jobs, born on September 22, 1991; Erin Siena Jobs, born on August 19, 1995; and Eve Jobs, born on July 19, 1998. Steve also had a daughter, Lisa Jobs, born on May 17, 1978, from his previous relationship with Chrisann Brennan.
Following Steve’s passing, his widow Laurene inherited billions of dollars in stock from Apple and The Walt Disney Company. However, she has stated that she does not plan to pass these assets on to their children.
“I’m not interested in legacy wealth buildings, and my children know that,” she told The New York Times in February 2020. “Steve wasn’t interested in that. If I live long enough, it ends with me.”
“I inherited my wealth from my husband, who didn’t care about the accumulation of wealth,” she continued. “I am doing this in honor of his work, and I’ve dedicated my life to doing the very best I can to distribute it effectively, in ways that lift up individuals and communities in a sustainable way.”
