Ronald Wayne is back in the news for one of the most famous \u201cwhat ifs\u201d in tech history. The 91-year-old Apple cofounder sold his 10% stake in the company for $800 just 12 days after it was formed, a share Fortune says could theoretically be worth more than $400 billion today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the real story is not just about a missed fortune. Wayne says he does not regret the decision, and his new partnership with Anheuser-Busch over a very different kind of \u201capple\u201d product turns that old Silicon Valley legend into a timely lesson for entrepreneurs, including those building climate, agriculture, packaging, and clean-tech businesses<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in 1976, Wayne was working as an engineer at Atari when Steve Jobs brought him in to help persuade Steve Wozniak to start a computer company. Wayne drafted Apple\u2019s original partnership<\/a> agreement and received a 10% stake, while Jobs and Wozniak each held 45%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then he walked away. Wayne sold the stake back for $800 and later received another $1,500 to give up any future claim to Apple, a decision that now looks staggering only because we know how the story ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In hindsight, Apple feels inevitable. In 1976, it was anything but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jobs had taken out a $15,000 loan to fulfill the company\u2019s first order from a Bay Area computer store, and Wayne feared the business could leave him personally exposed if things went wrong. Unlike his much younger co-founders, he had a house, a car, and assets that could be at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is the part of the startup myth people often skip. Wayne later warned entrepreneurs that, in a general partnership, liability may not stop at your ownership percentage, meaning a small stake can still come with very large danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wayne has now leaned into the irony of his Apple story by partnering with Anheuser-Busch to promote Busch Light Apple, a limited-edition beer returning to shelves. The company\u2019s official announcement says Busch Light is \u201conce again teaming up\u201d with Wayne for the 2026 return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The campaign may sound like a joke, but the numbers suggest it is serious business. Parade reported<\/a> that last year\u2019s return sold 1.2 million cases in the first month, and Anheuser-Busch said 27% of sales came from shoppers new to the category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A beer launch may seem far away from ecology. But beverage companies depend on crops, water, cans, transportation, refrigeration, and electricity<\/a>, the everyday stuff behind every cold drink pulled from the fridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is where the environmental angle becomes harder to ignore. AB InBev says its business is closely tied to the natural environment and that it is already seeing climate-related impacts across its value chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The company lists climate action, water stewardship, smart agriculture, and circular packaging as part of its sustainability work. It also says it aims to use 100% renewable purchased electricity and cut carbon emissions across its value chain by 25% by 2025, with a broader ambition to reach net zero by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wayne\u2019s warning matters because more young people are looking at entrepreneurship as a real path. Fortune cited ZipRecruiter data<\/a> showing that nearly 38% of graduates in the classes of 2025 and 2026 said they were considering launching their own companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of those founders will chase artificial intelligence<\/a>. Others will build businesses around clean energy, sustainable packaging, water systems, regenerative farming, or low-carbon food and drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His advice is blunt: \u201cunderstand your risk in practice, not just on paper,\u201d Wayne told Fortune. \u201cHave counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is easy to mock Wayne\u2019s exit because hindsight is cheap. But his point is simpler, and for the most part, more useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A business can have enormous upside and still be the wrong deal for the person signing the papers. That applies to a garage computer company, a viral beverage campaign, or a climate-tech startup<\/a> promising to clean up an entire industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, Wayne\u2019s story is less about losing money than understanding exposure before the dream gets too loud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The official statement was published on Anheuser-Busch<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ronald Wayne is back in the news for one of the most famous \u201cwhat ifs\u201d in tech history. The 91-year-old … <\/p>\nA famous exit still echoes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The risk looked different then<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The new apple product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why this touches the environment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The green business lesson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Not regret, judgment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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