Technology taking away privacy is bothersome: Apple co-founder Wozniak

Even as technology has played a significant role in bringing people closer to each other, for Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak it is bothersome that the same technology is taking away citizens' privacy.

"Technology is taking away our privacy. Everything I do is accumulated by Google, amazon etc and that's bothersome," Wozniak, also nicknamed "The Woz", said at ET Global Business Summit here on Saturday.

"...but Apple doesn't do that," he said.

Wozniak also spoke about what prompted him to co-found Apple with late Steve Jobs and how the Silicon Valley grew over the years.

"One thing I've found in my life is that it doesn't matter what you know as long as you want to do things," he said, adding, "If you want to start a company, you should not just have an idea on a piece of paper. You should have a working model, a business plan."

He told the gathering that he got a job with HP to design their product without an engineering degree. They interviewed and hired him on the spot.

"Growing up, there were no books describing what a computer was. I didn't think there were jobs in computers, I just wanted to know how to make these things," the technology entrepreneur said.

"I knew Steve Jobs for five years before Apple. He didn't know anything about insides of a computer, he wasn't an engineer but he knew how to look at products. Steve wanted to live a zero money life, he was more of a true hippie," he added.

According to "The Woz", Steve Jobs was good in learning everything about the company and he was good in engineering.

He said that the Silicon Valley grew organically with engineers and hardware, but to be successful, "every city needs to find its own formula."

The innovator also heaped praise on Jobs and Elon Musk by saying that both the innovators were very good salesmen.

"Favourite entrepreneur? hmmmm Elon Musk. He has the vision; He has a large family and he had to build a large car. Tesla. Super charger stations is a great idea," he said.

On future of jobs, Wozniak said that there would be social displacement but the next generation would have different types of jobs.

--IANS

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