Apple vs Garmin: Founders, CEOs and History
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and is led by John Ternus. Garmin was founded in 1989 by Min H. Kao, Gary Burrell and is led by Clifton A. (Cliff) Pemble.
Company facts
Founders
Apple
Steve Jobs
Apple Computer was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, who sold his 10% stake back to his partners for $800 twelve days later.
Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple and supplied the engineering foundation for its early success. He designed the Apple I as a working personal-computer board and then created the Apple II, the product that transformed Apple into a real company.
Ronald Wayne
Ronald Wayne co-founded Apple in 1976 but exited the partnership after only days, selling his stake back to Jobs and Wozniak.
Garmin
Min H. Kao
Min H. Kao co-founded Garmin in 1989 with Gary Burrell, and the company name combines their first names. Born in Taiwan, he studied at National Taiwan University and the University of Tennessee and worked on GPS and navigation systems before starting Garmin.
Gary Burrell
Gary Burrell co-founded Garmin in 1989 and led it as chief executive alongside Min Kao in its early years.
CEOs and their tenures
Apple
- John Sculley1983–1993
CEO
Sculley, a Wharton MBA who had built his reputation running Pepsi's marketing organization, was recruited to Apple in 1983 after Steve Jobs asked him, 'Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?' Apple paid h…
Source - Gil Amelio1996–1997
CEO
Amelio built his reputation as a corporate turnaround specialist at Rockwell International and then as CEO of National Semiconductor, where he was credited with transforming it from a struggling third-tier chipmaker into a more respected competitor, before joi…
Source - Steve Jobs1997–2011
CEO
Jobs enrolled at Reed College but dropped out after six months, later working as a video-game designer at Atari before he and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer in the Jobs family garage in 1976, funding the venture by selling Jobs's Volkswagen van and Wozni…
Source - Tim Cook2011–2026
CEO
Cook earned an industrial-engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business, then spent 12 years at IBM's personal-computer business before serving as COO of the reseller division at Intelligent Electronics and briefly a…
Source - John Ternus2026–present
CEO
Before becoming CEO, Ternus was Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, the group responsible for the engineering of Apple's devices. Cook described his contributions to Apple as spanning 25 years when the succession was announced.
Source
Garmin
- Min H. Kao1989–2012
Co-founder; former CEO; Executive Chairman
Co-founded Garmin, led it as CEO through its growth in the 2000s, and stayed on as executive chairman after 2013.
Source - Gary Burrell1989–2002
Co-founder; former co-CEO
Co-founded Garmin and helped lead it in its early years. He later became chairman emeritus and died in 2019.
Source - Clifton A. (Cliff) Pemble2013–present
President and Chief Executive Officer
Under Pemble, revenue rose to a record $7.25 billion in 2025, with all five segments at record highs and no long-term debt.
Source
Timeline: Apple and Garmin side by side
1976Apple
Apple is founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, turning an early personal-computer board into a company with a product and a market.
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple in 1976, when personal computing was still a hobbyist market.
1977Apple
The Apple II launches and gives the young company an expandable personal computer for schools, homes, and small businesses.
The Apple II turned a garage project into a business. Color graphics, expansion slots and a consumer-friendly design carried it into schools, homes and small offices, giving Apple a revenue base years before the Macintosh.
1980Apple
Apple completes its initial public offering in December 1980, raising capital and turning personal computing into a public-market story.
The December 1980 IPO gave Apple public-market capital and made personal computing look like a serious commercial category. It also raised the pressure to professionalize management, distribution and product planning as the company outgrew its founding team.
1984Apple
The Macintosh introduces a graphical interface and mouse-driven computing to a broad audience at a $2,495 launch price.
The Macintosh brought a graphical interface and a mouse to a mass-market computer and defined Apple's design identity.
1989Garmin
Company founded
Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded the company in Lenexa, Kansas, as ProNav. It was soon renamed Garmin.
1990Garmin
GPS 100 introduced
Garmin introduced its first product, the GPS 100 marine receiver.
1997Apple
Apple completes the NeXT acquisition, bringing Steve Jobs back and supplying the operating-system foundation for the years that followed.
Apple's NeXT acquisition brought Steve Jobs back when the company was financially weak and unfocused.
2000Garmin
Nasdaq IPO
Garmin went public on Nasdaq under the ticker GRMN in December 2000.
2001Apple
Apple introduces the iPod on October 23, 2001, a 5GB music player priced at $399 that held about 1,000 songs.
The iPod put a hard-drive music library in a pocket at $399 and went on sale on November 10, 2001.
2003Garmin
Forerunner launched
The Forerunner 101 wrist-worn GPS trainer launched Garmin's fitness wearables line.
2007Apple
The iPhone is introduced as a phone, widescreen iPod, and internet communicator, moving Apple into the center of mobile computing.
The iPhone moved Apple into mobile computing and shifted the company's center of gravity away from the Mac. It also created the hardware base that later supported services, accessories and developer economics.
2008Apple
The App Store opens with 500 apps, creating a controlled software marketplace that becomes a major Services pillar.
The App Store launched with 500 apps and gave iPhone owners a single, controlled way to install third-party software.
2011Apple
Tim Cook becomes chief executive on August 24, 2011, after Steve Jobs resigns and the board names Cook to succeed him.
Apple's board named Tim Cook chief executive on August 24, 2011, when Steve Jobs resigned and recommended the succession plan be carried out.
2013Garmin
Cliff Pemble becomes CEO
Cliff Pemble, an early Garmin engineer, succeeded Min Kao as CEO in January 2013.
2014Apple
Apple agrees to acquire Beats Music and Beats Electronics for $3 billion, its largest deal.
Apple agreed to buy Beats Music and Beats Electronics for a total of $3 billion, about $2.6 billion in purchase price plus roughly $400 million vesting over time, and brought in founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.
2020Apple
Apple announces the Mac transition to Apple silicon, deepening control over performance, power efficiency, and software optimization.
Apple began moving Mac computers off Intel processors and onto its own M-series chips in 2020.
2021Garmin
Listing moves to NYSE
Garmin moved its share listing from Nasdaq to the New York Stock Exchange.
2024Apple
Vision Pro launches at $3,499 and gives Apple a shipping platform for spatial interfaces, sensors, and custom silicon.
Vision Pro gave Apple a live platform for spatial interfaces, eye and hand input, high-resolution displays and custom chips.
2025Garmin
Record $7.25 billion revenue
Revenue rose 15% to $7.25 billion, every segment set a record, and Garmin shipped more than 20 million units.
2026Apple
John Ternus becomes chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook becomes executive chairman.
John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, became chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook became executive chairman after 15 years as CEO.
2026Garmin
TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic acquired
Garmin completed the acquisition of the TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic coaching platforms and reported a record Q2 2026 operating income of $616 million.
Acquisitions
Garmin
- TrainingPeaks and TrainHeroic2026Undisclosed
- JL Audio2023Undisclosed
- Firstbeat Analytics2020Undisclosed
- Tacx2019Undisclosed
- Navionics2017Undisclosed
Questions about Apple vs Garmin
Who is the CEO of Apple Inc. and Garmin Ltd.?
Apple Inc. is led by John Ternus and Garmin Ltd. is led by Clifton A. (Cliff) Pemble. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Apple Inc. founded vs Garmin Ltd.?
Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 — 13 years before Garmin Ltd., which was founded in 1989. Apple Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Garmin Ltd..
How many employees does Apple Inc. have compared to Garmin Ltd.?
Apple Inc. employs approximately 166,000 people, while Garmin Ltd. employs approximately 23,000. Apple Inc. has the larger workforce at 166,000 employees, compared to Garmin Ltd.'s 23,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Apple Inc. and Garmin Ltd. headquartered?
Both Apple Inc. and Garmin Ltd. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Apple Inc. and Garmin Ltd.?
Apple Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne. Garmin Ltd. was founded by Min H. Kao, Gary Burrell.
Which company has a longer operating history — Apple Inc. or Garmin Ltd.?
Apple Inc. has been operating for approximately 50 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Garmin Ltd. has been in operation for around 37 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Apple vs Garmin overview