resolve Apple's unsuccessful 

operating system strategy and entice Jobs back to the company.

Over the next decade, Jobs guided Apple back to profitability through a number of tactics
including introducing the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim, launching "Think
different" and other memorable advertising campaigns, opening the Apple Store retail chain,
and acquiring numerous companies to broaden the company's product portfolio. When Jobs
resigned in 2011 for health reasons, and died two months later, he was succeeded as CEO
by Tim Cook.
Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company to be valued at over $1 trillion in August
2018, then $2 trillion in August 2020, and most recently $3 trillion in January 2022. The
company receives criticism regarding the labor practices of its contractors, its environmental
practices, and its business ethics, including anti-competitive practices and materials sourcing.
Nevertheless, the company has a large following and enjoys a high level of brand loyalty. It is
ranked as one of the world's most valuable brands
The Apple II, also invented by Wozniak, was introduced on April 16, 1977, at the first West Coast
Computer Faire.[31] It differed from its major rivals, the TRS-80 and Commodore PET, because of
its character cell-based color graphics and open architecture. While the Apple I and early Apple II
models used ordinary audio cassette tapes as storage devices, they were superseded by the
introduction of a 5+1⁄4-inch floppy disk drive and interface called the Disk II in 1978.[32][33]
The Apple II was chosen to be the desktop platform for the first "killer application" of the business
world: VisiCalc, a spreadsheet program released in 1979.[32] VisiCalc created a business market
for the Apple II and gave home users an additional reason to buy an Apple II: compatibility with
the office.[32] Before VisiCalc, Apple had been a distant third place competitor
to Commodore and Tandy.[34][35] By the end of the 1970s, Apple had become the leading computer
manufacturer in the United States.[36]
On December 12, 1980, Apple (ticker symbol "AAPL") went public selling 4.6 million shares at
$22 per share ($.39 per share when adjusting for stock splits as of March 30, 2019),[24] generating
over $100 million, which was more capital than any IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956.[37] By
the end of the day, 300 millionaires were created, from a stock price of $29 per share [38] and a
market cap of $1.778 billion.[37][38]
The board of directors instructed Sculley to contain Jobs and his ability to launch expensive
forays into untested products. Rather than submit to Sculley's direction, Jobs attempted to oust
him from his leadership role at Apple.[60] Informed by Jean-Louis Gassée, Sculley found out that
Jobs had been attempting to organize a boardroom coup and called an emergency meeting at
which Apple's executive staff sided with Sculley and stripped Jobs of all operational duties.
[60]
 Jobs resigned from Apple in September 1985 and took a number of Apple employees with him
to found NeXT.[61] Wozniak had also quit his active employment at Apple earlier in 1985 to pursue
other ventures, expressing his frustration with Apple's treatment of the Apple II division and
stating that the company had "been going in the wrong direction for the last five years". [45][62]
[63]
 Despite Wozniak's grievances, he officially remained employed by Apple, and to this day
continues to work for the company as a representative, [62] receiving a stipend estimated to be
$120,000 per year for this role. [21] Both Jobs and Wozniak remained Apple shareholders after
their departures.[64]