November 29, 1995: Pixar Goes Public

Steve Jobs was a hands-off owner at Pixar when it came to selling computers, generating software or making movies. When it came to making money, Steve was a little more proactive. After negotiating the deal with Disney for three movies, Steve knew he didn't want to stay under Disney's thumb forever.

Looking at the landscape, Jobs decided the best way to gain some independence from Disney was to decrease reliance on the entertainment giant by going public. Timing the move carefully to coincide with the release of Toy Story, Pixar shares went on sale.

Steve Jobs entered the day as yet another multimillionaire but left the day in the billionaire club when the stock jumped from the original price of $22 to the closing price of $39 on November 29, 1995.