How the CIA helped Steve Jobs

The Central Intelligence Agency helped Steve Jobs “prove himself as an entrepreneur” and saved his career during his exile from Apple, says author Sharon Weinberger.

After being pushed out of Apple in the 1980s, Jobs created the computer company NeXT. The company was faltering, but the CIA helped keep it afloat by purchasing its tech.

“These were beautiful, expensive computers that weren’t selling, and this CIA contract gave him several years of runway to prove himself as an entrepreneur,” Weinberger said.

Apple acquired NeXT in 1996, marking Job’s return to the company he co-founded. NeXT’s operating system eventually became the foundation for Apple’s software.

“People agreed that it really helped give him that springboard to go back to Apple, take over Apple and build the iconic brand that we know today,” Weinberger said.

Weinberger, author of “Valley of Death,” joined PBS News Hour’s Amna Nawaz to discuss how the biggest names in Silicon Valley are reshaping the Pentagon. Watch the full interview Thursday on the News Hour.

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