Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple with Steve Jobs, has done more than hold up the reputation of this multi-billion-dollar company in recent years. 50 years after the founding of his company, this prolific CEO came to High Point University in North Carolina with a question: In an era when artificial intelligence can already write software, design circuits, and optimize business processes, what does innovation require? His answer, delivered to hundreds of HPU students in the Hayworth Fine Arts Center in February of 2026, gave insight to those uncertain about their future in their chosen career field.
Wozniak has served as High Point University‘s Innovator in Residence since 2016, returning to campus regularly to mentor engineering majors, sit in on classes, and brainstorm with student groups. His most recent visit occurred during HPU’s third Presidential Scholarship weekend of the year, allowing 2,000 guests, including prospective families, to see the campus. For students worried about the future of AI, hearing directly from the engineer who built the first Apple computer in a garage was a welcome encouragement. Below, explore a few of the talking points Wozniak had to share with the HPU student body.
Curiosity Drives Growth
Wozniak sat down with Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, the founding dean of HPU’s David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship, to discuss AI in front of hundreds of HPU students this February. The result was an open discussion on the importance of curiosity and joy in finding work in an AI-driven marketplace. Instead of money, fancy tools, and credentials, Steve cited the importance of enjoying what you do for a living.
“What you love is very important,” Wozniak told the students. “That’s what you’ll put the time in to be one of the very best.” Although some might interpret this advice as naive, Wozniak recounted that he and Jobs had no money in their savings accounts when they started Apple. At the time, he was an engineer earning $25,000 and dreaming of getting somewhere. His passion led him to send his personal computer design to every division at Hewlett-Packard, which was rejected five times before he founded the electronics company that now makes significantly more than HP is worth.
The Human Instinct to Solve Problems
In the conversation, Wozniak described some of his experiences in his early career. He recounted developing a floppy disk for Apple in short order despite having no prior knowledge of how to do so. Jonathan Lazaridis, a junior HPU sales major who serves as vice president of membership for the university’s Professional Selling Program, said it was the kind of mindset he believed would define successful careers in the era of AI.
“This made him stand out over everyone else in the development process,” Lazaridis said. “This mindset can be crucial, as it will help students not only be distinctive once they enter the professional world but also continue having consistent growth and success by being innovative solution-finders.” Although AI systems are extremely powerful, they can only use the knowledge they are taught to use or look for. A human can create solutions that didn’t exist prior.
Start With a Real Problem
So, how can students solve problems without AI? According to Wozniak, students can identify areas of their own lives that need improvement and look toward them with a sense of playfulness instead of anxious ambition. An HPU finance freshman, Evan Taylor from Atlanta, Georgia, stated this message reframed how he thought about innovation. When asked, he stated, “[Steve] reminded us that innovation starts with curiosity and the willingness to experiment. Hearing him speak reinforced that meaningful change begins with taking action and staying committed to your ideas.”
This advice is even more important in a career environment that is increasingly automating tasks with AI. For example, students who are following technological trends without identifying the problems they aim to solve may struggle to innovate. Those who start with a problem they personally care about may be more likely to build products and ideas that consumers and companies haven’t seen before. Wozniak himself did not set out to create one of the world’s most valuable companies; instead, he built a computer he wanted to use. Because of his creation, Apple was born.
Honesty, Humility, and the Willingness to Fail
Humility is another virtue that Wozniak cited in his speech. Although many students are aiming high from the get-go, Wozniak wanted them to look at a less glamorous set of virtues, including but not limited to honesty, respectful communication, and the readiness to accept failure while learning and growing. He reminded the audience that he himself failed multiple times before success, citing his “Dial-a-Joke” service and selling sheets of $2 bills. People who focus too much on succeeding may get hit harder by the disappointment of failure. In contrast, those with a positive mindset use these experiences as growing pains on the path to future successes.
Wozniak’s mentorship resonated strongly with HPU undergraduates because of his honesty. Students may often come across success stories online without remembering where those stories started. Even the most successful people fail. For this reason, HPU’s mentorship program continues to give students hope and practical, real-world advice. Through their Access to Innovators program, life skills that make sense are the center of growth.
Finally, Wozniak explored the value of staying honest and respectful with colleagues and competitors, a message that resonates as AI amplifies collaboration and industry competition. In a world where a single misleading claim or overclaimed demo can unravel years of credibility, Wozniak’s insistence on being honest is a practical career strategy that can support anyone in any industry.
How Steve Wozniak Continues to Support HPU Students Off the Stage
Although Wozniak has given talks at many universities throughout the country, his relationship with High Point University students didn’t end at his February conference. As part of the Life Skills program at HPU, Wozniak continues to offer mentorship and support. Recently, he held a brainstorming session in Cottrell Hall with HPU Minds, a student group that is using a headset to read brainwaves and control devices. This human-machine interface project is proof that humans and AI are working together to create devices that were previously unseen in modern society. In addition, Wozniak spoke to a software engineering class in Couch Hall and mentored engineering majors throughout the day.
Some students only get to watch conversations like these from a screen. Those who choose to study at HPU get to spend a day in a room with real innovators, including Steve Wozniak, allowing them a step up in the career market after graduation. Although machines can now generate passable code, summarize research, and propose designs, they are not as capable of identifying problems based on curiosity, using repeated unprompted rejection as a growth opportunity, and building new inventions. At High Point University, students are getting the chance to learn these important skills from someone who started from almost nothing. This type of education is irreplaceable.
