Ron Wayne, Apple's often-forgotten third co-founder, has doubled down on his claim that he still owns 10% of the company despite quitting after just 12 days in 1976. In a recent interview with Fast Company, Wayne insisted he never sold his original stake, calling it a 'point of pedantry' that he technically couldn't sell since he left the partnership.

Wayne's claim appears to misunderstand the legal reality of his departure. After receiving $800 to exit the original partnership between himself, Steve Jobs, and Steve Wozniak, he later accepted an additional $1,770 when Mike Markkula incorporated Apple in 1977. This settlement, documented in Owen W. Linzmayer's 'Apple Confidential 2.0,' explicitly relinquished all future claims to the company.

If Wayne's claim were true, his 10% stake would be worth approximately $400 billion based on Apple's $4 trillion valuation in October 2025. Instead, the contract he signed selling his rights sold at auction in 2011 for $1.6 million, making it more valuable than any direct Apple payout he ever received.