Woz: Zuck = me + Jobs
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak sees both himself and Steve Jobs in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the social network prepares to go public.
Is Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg a combination of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak?
That's how Woz himself paints the 28-year-old CEO.
Offering his insights on Facebook as the company Zuck founded and runs preps its IPO, Wozniak told Bloomberg that he sees Zuckerberg as a "real acute" businessman who has both technical abilities, like Woz himself, and the vision and corporate smarts of Steve Jobs.
"I was thankful to have a partnership with Steve Jobs and I see Mark Zuckerberg closer to the combination of us," Woz said in the Bloomberg interview. "When he speaks he speaks with a lot of idealism for the users and a lot of good ideas for the product overall."
Woz himself plans to invest in Facebook after the IPO launches, no matter what the price.
The popular social network said it wants to raise as much as $13.6 billion in its initial offering, valuing the company at up to $96 billion. Facebook is looking to price those initial shares between $28 and $35 as they prepare to start trading by the end of this week.
Wozniak may have trouble getting in on the ground floor and will likely have to wait until after the stock hits the market. Reports say that Facebook's IPO is already oversubscribed.
Woz also praised Facebook for staying private for so long, showing other companies that going public doesn't have to be the only goal for a thriving and innovative business.