Chris Espinosa: 50-Year Apple Career Pays Off Big

Imagine starting work at a company at just 14 years old and never leaving. That is exactly the story of Chris Espinosa, now 64, one of Apple’s earliest employees and widely considered employee number eight at the then-scrappy startup founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

Espinosa joined Apple in its earliest days, recruited directly by Jobs to write software for the Apple II. At a time when long-term careers in Silicon Valley are rare, especially in the fast-moving tech sector, his five-decade tenure stands out as almost unheard of in that industry.

While Apple’s iconic founders are no longer with Apple, Espinosa has remained a constant, continuing to contribute behind the scenes. Today, he works on the operating system for Apple TV, the company’s streaming platform, and is now approaching retirement after more than 50 years with the company.

While Chris Espinosa’s story is remarkable, Brazilian worker Walter Orthmann set an even more extraordinary record, joining textile company RenauxView at just 15 and remaining there for over 84 years until his passing. One can only imagine how many “Employee of the Month” awards he earned; he likely had that title locked down.

One of the most remarkable aspects of his journey came in 1980, when he received 2,000 shares of Apple stock through the “Woz Plan,” an initiative created by Wozniak to share wealth with early employees. Those shares are now estimated to be worth approximately $114 million.

Espinosa has never publicly disclosed his total net worth; his decades-long career at Apple has likely made him a lot wealthier. He was at the right place at the right time and staying the course as one of the most valuable companies in the world grew around him.