Apple vs Roku: Founders, CEOs and History
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and is led by John Ternus. Roku was founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood and is led by Anthony Wood.
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.
Roku
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood is the founder, chairman and CEO of Roku. He founded ReplayTV in 1997, one of the first DVR companies, and started Roku in 2002 as his sixth company.
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
Roku
- Mustafa Ozgen
President, Devices
Leads Roku's players, Roku-branded TVs and OEM TV programs.
Source - Anthony Wood2002–present
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Built Roku into the leading TV streaming platform in the US, Canada and Mexico by hours streamed, with $4.737 billion of revenue in 2025.
Source - Dan Jedda2021–present
Chief Financial Officer
Former Amazon finance executive who oversees Roku's finances and its cost reset after 2023 losses.
Source - Charlie Collier2022–present
President, Roku Media
Former FOX Entertainment and AMC Networks executive who runs The Roku Channel, content and media business.
Source
Timeline: Apple and Roku 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.
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.
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.
2002Roku
Roku Founded
Anthony Wood founds Roku in Saratoga, California; early products include the HD1000 media player and SoundBridge music player.
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.
2008Roku
First Netflix Streaming Player
Roku releases the $99.99 Roku DVP, the first device built to stream Netflix to a TV.
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.
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.
2014Roku
Roku TV Licensing Begins
Roku starts licensing its OS to TV makers, beginning with TCL and Hisense.
2017Roku
IPO and The Roku Channel
Roku lists on Nasdaq at $14 per share in September and launches The Roku Channel.
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.
2021Roku
Quibi Library and This Old House
Roku acquires the Quibi content library and This Old House for The Roku Channel.
2023Roku
Roku-Branded TVs
Roku launches TVs it designs itself, sold in the US.
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.
2025Roku
Return to Profit
Roku reports $4.737 billion revenue and $88.4 million net income for 2025.
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.
2026Roku
Fox Agrees to Acquire Roku
On June 15, 2026 Fox agrees to buy Roku for $160 per share in cash and stock, about $22 billion in enterprise value; closing expected in the first half of 2027.
Acquisitions
Roku
- Frndly TV2025$185M
- Quibi content library2021Undisclosed
- This Old House (TOH Intermediate Holdings)2021Undisclosed
- Dataxu2019$150M
Questions about Apple vs Roku
Who is the CEO of Apple Inc. and Roku, Inc.?
Apple Inc. is led by John Ternus and Roku, Inc. is led by Anthony Wood. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Apple Inc. founded vs Roku, Inc.?
Apple Inc. was founded in 1976 — 26 years before Roku, Inc., which was founded in 2002. Apple Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Roku, Inc..
How many employees does Apple Inc. have compared to Roku, Inc.?
Apple Inc. employs approximately 166,000 people, while Roku, Inc. employs approximately 3,600. Apple Inc. has the larger workforce at 166,000 employees, compared to Roku, Inc.'s 3,600. 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 Roku, Inc. headquartered?
Both Apple Inc. and Roku, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Apple Inc. and Roku, Inc.?
Apple Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne. Roku, Inc. was founded by Anthony Wood.
Which company has a longer operating history — Apple Inc. or Roku, Inc.?
Apple Inc. has been operating for approximately 50 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Roku, Inc. has been in operation for around 24 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 Roku overview