Apple vs Nubank: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Apple and Nubank side by side

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 2013Nubank

    Nubank founded in So Paulo

    David Vélez, Cristina Junqueira, and Edward Wible founded Nubank in a suburban house in So Paulo, Brazil, with the mission to fight complexity and democratize financial services in Latin America.

11. 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.

12. 2014Nubank

    Launch of the purple credit card

    Nubank launched its first product a no-annual-fee credit card managed entirely through a smartphone app on April 1, 2014.

13. 2017Nubank

    Launch of digital account (NuConta)

    Nubank launched its digital account product, allowing customers to receive salaries, make transfers, and pay bills without fees.

14. 2019Nubank

    Expansion to Mexico

    Nubank launched operations in Mexico, beginning with credit cards and later expanding to digital accounts. Mexico would become the company's second-largest market, reaching 10 million customers by 2024.

15. 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.

16. 2020Nubank

    Launch of NuInvest and expansion to Colombia

    Nubank launched NuInvest, a zero-fee brokerage platform for stocks and ETFs, and expanded operations to Colombia with the Cuenta Nu digital account. The company also reached 30 million customers globally.

17. 2021Nubank

    IPO on the New York Stock Exchange

    Nubank completed its IPO on December 9, 2021, raising $2.6 billion at $9 per share and achieving a valuation of approximately $41-45 billion. The IPO made co-founder Cristina Junqueira one of only two self-made female billionaires in Brazil.

18. 2022Nubank

    Acquisition of Olivia AI and first annual profitability path

    Nubank acquired Olivia AI, an American startup providing AI-powered financial management services, to strengthen its data and personalization capabilities. The company also reduced losses significantly as it moved toward profitability.

19. 2023Nubank

    First annual net profit and 85 million customers

    Nubank reported its first annual net profit of $1.03 billion in FY2023, with revenue of $8.03 billion. The company reached 85 million customers and demonstrated that its digital-only model could generate sustainable profitability.

20. 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.

21. 2024Nubank

    Record revenue and 114 million customers

    Nubank reported FY2024 revenue of $11.52 billion and net income of $1.97 billion, crossed 100 million customers in May 2024, acquired AI startup Hyperplane, and invested $150 million in South Africa's Tyme Group as part of its $250 million Series D.

22. 2025Nubank

    131 million customers and ARPAC of $15

    Nubank added about 17 million customers in 2025, ending the year with 131 million, while quarterly ARPAC reached about $15. FY2025 IFRS revenue was $15.77 billion and net income was $2.87 billion.

23. 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.

24. 2026Nubank

    Conditional US national bank charter

    In January 2026, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted Nu conditional approval to establish a national bank, with Cristina Junqueira leading the US business.

25. 2026Nubank

    First $1 billion quarter and Mexican bank launch

    Nu reported Q2 2026 net income of $1.061 billion on gross revenue of $5.88 billion and 139 million customers. In August 2026 it launched its bank in Mexico with 16 million customers.

26. 2026Nubank

    US product launch

    On September 10, 2026, Nubank launched US products in Miami, including a credit card, high-yield savings and remittances, through sponsor bank Lead Bank while its own charter is pending.

Acquisitions

Questions about Apple vs Nubank