The Mistake That Cost Steve Jobs $29,000,000,000

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Posted September 30, 2011 at 7:53pm by Shalom Levytam

Tim Parker of Investopedia calculates that Steve Jobs might be $29,000,000,000 richer had he not made one mistake.

Jobs originally invested $1,500 in starting Apple. When the stock went public on Dec 12, 1980 he owned 7.5 million shares. Since Apple has done three two-for-one stock splits, Jobs would have had 78,909,091 shares of Apple.

At a $400 share price today, Steve Jobs would be worth about $31.6 billion if he held all of his initial shares versus an estimated $2.2 billion in Apple stock today (at $400 with 5.426 million shares of Apple). Of course, we all know that didn't happen. When Jobs was ousted out of Apple in 1985 he sold all but one share so he could still get the annual report. It was not until he came back in 1997 that he was rewarded additional shares in Apple.

Parker notes that today most of Jobs net worth comes from the sale of Pixar to Disney. He is currently estimated to be worth $6.5 billion to $7 billion and is the 110th richest person. If he hadn't sold any of his Apple shares in 1985 he would be worth $36 billion today, making him the fifth richest person on Forbes "Top Billionaire List".

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The Mistake That Cost Steve Jobs $29,000,000,000

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Gleb - September 29, 2014 at 12:09am

If Steave jobs be alaf he would have more than 300,000,000,000

James Katt - October 2, 2011 at 6:56pm

Past $50 Million Dollars, money means less and less. By then, you've already made it. You do not have to work the rest of your life. You do not have to have any stress in your life. You no longer have to struggle. You can focus on your own health. The extra billions mean nothing.

Buggsy2 - October 1, 2011 at 3:53pm

Would the $29 B buy him good health? No. Money isn't everything but we've forgotten that in the USA.

Sapi - October 1, 2011 at 6:24am

29 billion and not a single unlock give away :)

symbian74 - October 1, 2011 at 4:23am

And when he had 29 billion more, what then? Would it change the fact that he hasn't been exactly giving away his "paltry" fortune?

WhoCares - September 30, 2011 at 9:31pm

That $29B won't do him any good when he's dead in 6 months anyways.

JCR - September 30, 2011 at 9:47pm

Well...I would not speak about Steve Jobs death six months from now....you might die "broke" before him!!!

Dg - October 1, 2011 at 8:27am

He would rather have a new liver which money cannot buy. Not sure he cares much about another billion or so. His work is about the passion loving what you do. Again, money cannot buy.

Lucas - September 30, 2011 at 8:35pm

What's 29 Billion or so...but still, yikes!

yiyopr - October 1, 2011 at 12:24am

hehehe yeah... keep believing that... Rich people live longer lives than poor people, it's not an opinion it's a fact. There is an undeniable correlation between lifespan and wealth. The rich have access to better medical care, better nutrition, less stress, access to good fitness programs, ect. All these things extend a persons life. It could be argued that the rich will eventually die, like everyone else, but they live a lot longer, they essentially push back the "Grim Reaper".

doctorvivz - October 1, 2011 at 8:55am

ur extremely ryt..rich ppl do get better med service n life bt sumtyms even all this doesnt help..MJ..Kennedy...princess diana...!

David - September 30, 2011 at 8:13pm

Inability to predict the future isn't really a mistake. The article could have said we all made a mistake by not purchasing X number of shares of Apple when it first went public. Or by not buying a specific lottery ticket and choosing specific numbers.

ikkyu - September 30, 2011 at 9:20pm

dammit, i made that mistake with the lottery ticket too. well - he actually owned 'em at one point, so there's some point to the story, i guess.

soller - October 2, 2011 at 10:27am

Thanx. The only comment makes sense here.