February 7, 1981: A Plane Ride Gives a New Perspective to Woz

Apple went public and Steve Wozniak found himself in a position he had not imagined a scant few years earlier: he was suddenly a millionaire a hundred times over. What do you do when you have more money than you can spend? If you're Steve Wozniak you keep plugging away at Apple. Though "plugging away" may have been too strong a term. The President of Apple computers, at least, was convinced that Woz was becoming lazy and setting a bad example for the rest of Apple's employees and pressured Woz to be more productive.

In betwixt his various projects at Apple, Woz used some of his newfound wealth to purchase an airplane. Indulging his rich guy’s hobby, Woz and some friends jumped into his Beechcraft for a jaunt to San Diego. The craft stalled on takeoff and Woz was severely injured in the resulting crash.

The experience intensified Woz's distaste for corporate politics, a distaste that was never more apparent than when he told People magazine: "The company had become a big business, and I missed tinkering." When he fully recovered five months later, Woz took a leave of absence from Apple Computer. The accident that reminded Woz that there was no compelling reason to work at Apple if he didn't enjoy it occurred on February 7, 1981.