Hello Fellow Technophiles,
We have all made mistakes in our lives, but for most of us the consequences are relatively minor. Maybe you forgot to pay a bill and it accrues some interest (such as when I forgot to pay my $5 dental co-pay and they tacked 50 cents onto the bill…price gouging!!).
Maybe you didn’t get an oil change and your engine seizes up and now you are out several thousand dollars (I always get my oil changed on time, so I have no idea why my engine failed).
Or perhaps you sold your 10% share in what would go on to become one of the most valuable companies of all time and now you are out BILLIONS of dollars.
Unfortunately for Ronald Wayne, the last example is not a hypothetical scenario. In 1976 Mr. Wayne, who worked at Atari with Steve Jobs, helped found Apple Computers. He drew the first Apple logo, wrote the original partnership agreement, and wrote the Apple I manual. For his assistance, he was awarded a 10% stake in the company. Less than two weeks later, he sold his share back to Jobs and Steve Wozniak for $800 as he was worried that the new company would go into debt and he had assets that creditors could potentially seize.
I hope this makes you feel better about whatever mistakes you have made lately! I know a little schadenfreude always helps me.