Apple Co-Founder Mike Markkula Asking $45M For California Ranch

Published: August 23, 2016 | By: American Luxury Staff

The 14,000-acre ranch of Mike Markkula—Steve Jobs’ and Steve Wozniak’s co-founder and early partner at Apple—has just hit the market for $45 million. Rana Creek Ranch is a working cattle-herding operation in Carmel Valley, California, that Markkula and his wife Linda purchased in 1982 for $8 million. The property features a riding arena, two barns, a private lake and a half-mile landing strip for personal airplanes.

The residence itself includes a total of 5 bedrooms—one in the 5,413-square-foot main house, two in a wing connected to the main house via covered walkway, and two more in a separate guesthouse. The property also holds offices and staff housing for the ranch hands and managers.

All told, the land included in the sale is more than 9,000 acres. Since the couple first purchased it, the houses have undergone remodels, with a “cowboy bar” featuring exposed timber beams and white painted brick added to the main house. In the kitchen, shaker cabinets and a six-burner stove are joined by functional wood beam accents such as the pot rack over the center island.

Sitting off a skylit open hall, the master bedroom is a veritable greenhouse—with wall-to-wall windows surrounding the bed and opening onto a patio. It also includes an ironwork stove and room for a desk or sitting area, while in the living room, while vaulted, wood-paneled ceilings and a brick fireplace mark the living room.

Markkula’s contribution to Apple came in the form of a 1977 cash injection of $250,000—$80,000 for an equity stake and $170,000 as a loan—that helped get the Apple II off the ground. He became one-third owner of Apple at that time. He has been noted for his role in securing venture capital and credit for the burgeoning company and helping bring in Michael Scott as the company’s first president and CEO.

Wozniak, being the humble genius that he is, credits Markkula for the success of Apple moreso than himself.

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