Steve Jobs Employment Questionnaire Sold for $174,757 at Auction

[MacRumors]

A rare employment questionnaire filled out by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was auctioned off last week, earning an impressive $174,757.

Jobs filled out the questionnaire in 1973, just after dropping out of Reed College, where he attended school for approximately six months and then audited classes for another year and a half.

The document provided a rare look into Jobs' life at the time, with Jobs listing "english lit" as his major and Reed College as his address. "Computer" and "Calculator" were listed as skills, along with "Design" and "Tech," and Jobs said that he had special abilities that include "Electronics" and digital "Tech or Design Engineer."

Soon after filling out the employment questionnaire, Jobs took a position as a technician at Atari after showing the company a version of Pong designed by Steve Wozniak. Just two years later, Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer in Jobs' now iconic garage.

Ahead of the auction, the auction site believed the questionnaire would fetch over $50,000, but it ended up tripling that estimate.

A separate auction for an Mac OS X technical manual signed by Jobs in 2001 also brought in $41,806, while a signed newspaper clipping that Jobs signed sold for $26,950.

Article Link: Steve Jobs Employment Questionnaire Sold for $174,757 at Auction

 

[1800AirTAG]

It must be nice to have that kind of "play" money.

 

[44267547]

Incredible what will Someone will spend on a piece of paper worth the value of a house.

 

[tridley68]

That's just plain crazy for a old yellowed up piece of paper

 

[maerz001]

Used toilet paper for $1,267,934.

 

[nfl46]

Where did I go wrong in life? Lol. I guess a majority of ask the same thing. Anyone got $175K laying around to buy a piece of paper?

 

[Pupi]

Possible but not probabale.

 

[Jsameds]

ITT: People jealous that

A) They can’t afford it
B) They wish that their castoffs were worth that much

 

[nwcs]

The first is an interesting historical trivia but it won’t likely have lasting value. It’s not exactly a letter penned by George Washington or an extant copy of the Magna Carta. The people who sold these sold them at a good time to maximize the current value.

 

[tridley68]

Question did he get the job I see a lot of unanswered questions on that paper.

 

[4jasontv]

Incredible what will Someone will spend on a piece of paper worth the value of a house.

You can buy a house for nearly nothing. My grandparents had a house for sale on their block for $1 (1994 money). People do this when the cost of knocking down the structure to get at the land can be offset by having someone else come in and take the building. If you have land but no house, it's a lot cheaper to transport a house than building your own.

 

[L-Viz]

Used toilet paper for $1,267,934.

With that, you could clone Jobs out of some cells in the specimen, start a new business like Maple Computer, and become a billionaire !

 

[4jasontv]

Man - the simple days when that was a job application.

 

[gpwdeux]

You can buy a house for nearly nothing. My grandparents had a house for sale on their block for $1 (1994 money). People do this when the cost of knocking down the structure to get at the land can be offset by having someone else come in and take the building. If you have land but no house, it's a lot cheaper to transport a house than building your own.

rhe·tor·i·cal
rəˈtôrək(ə)l/
adjective
adjective: rhetorical

1. relating to or concerned with the art of rhetoric.
   • (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.

 

[4jasontv]

rhe·tor·i·cal
rəˈtôrək(ə)l/
adjective
adjective: rhetorical

1. relating to or concerned with the art of rhetoric.
   • (of a question) asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.

You asked a question?

 

[Porco]

“Phone: none”

Even back then, wouldn’t talk about upcoming products...

 

[mrgraff]

Man - the simple days when that was a job application.

My first job, Burger King 1991.
I think the application was just name, address, and a contact number. The interview was basically:
"Can you start tomorrow?" "Sure, I guess" "Ok, see you then"

 

[Sirious]

He didn't have a phone, so he made his own

 

[npmacuser5]

Some try hoarding or vast amounts of time at sales in the hope they hit the rare find lottery. Another option.

 

[ookladek]

Man every time I see something like this about Steve's past and see how he used to ride hard on Wozniak's back i feel bad for woz.

 

[4jasontv]

Man every time I see something like this about Steve's past and see how he used to ride hard on Wozniak's back i feel bad for woz.

I feel that too. Even knowing that Woz would have likely given everything away had Jobs never been there doesn't really help. I guess the story we know is better than the one where Woz gives a friend he doesn't really know gift, the recipient realizes it isn't patented, and creates Apple.

 

[trekkie604]

Steve had pretty bad handwriting heh.

 

[Black Tiger]

Incredible what will Someone will spend on a piece of paper worth the value of a house.

Makes Apple’s pricing seem downright cheap by comparison lol.
[doublepost=1521225378][/doublepost]

Steve had pretty bad handwriting heh.

Hence his push for proportionately spaces fonts?

 

[69650]

Who is buying all this stuff? It’s a big gamble to assume they will increase in value over time.

 

[BornAgainMac]

When I read that application, I am reminded of that process of trying to get your first job. That is such a vulnerable position.