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We all know about the innovative genius of Steve Jobs. The Apple CEO set out on a mission – and succeeded – to “change the world.” His advancements in technology left a profound legacy that has extended well beyond the many years since his death. There is one aspect of his incredibly private, personal life that many do not know about. This is the Steve Jobs adoption story.
Humble Beginnings
Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco, CA, on February 24, 1955. His birth parents, Joanne Carole Schieble and Abdulfattah “John” Jandali, met at the University of Wisconsin while Jandali pursued a Ph.D. and served as Joanne’s teaching assistant. Schieble’s parents did not approve of their daughter’s relationship to the Muslim graduate student and threatened to cut off financial assistance their daughter had been receiving. Since her father was dying and she was a young 22-year-old, Schieble did not want to upset her family. She decided neither she nor Jandali could raise a child and decided to make an adoption plan for her unborn baby.
Shortly before the baby’s expected arrival, Schieble left Wisconsin for San Francisco. She went to be cared for by an obstetrician who discreetly ministered to unwed mothers. This doctor would oversee prenatal care, deliver the baby, and then work with the birth mother to find an adoptive family. In the ‘50s, it was customary for these adoptions to be “closed.” While this meant that neither the birth nor adoptive parents would ever know one another, Schieble did have one big requirement for her child’s adoptive parents: They must be college-educated.
A wealthy, educated family was quickly found, but the adoptive parents backed out once they learned the baby was a boy. They were hoping for a girl.
The next couple found: Paul and Clara Jobs. Clara was a bookkeeper, and Paul was a World War II Veteran who sold used cars. They were a hardworking, loving couple that had struggled with infertility, but they were not the college-educated couple that Schieble had been set to find for her son. When she learned this news, she was furious and refused to consent to the adoption. After several days and a promise to send the adopted child to college, however, Schieble finally agreed to sign the adoption consent.
Growing Up to Become Steve Jobs
The Jobs family settled into life as a family in San Francisco and soon became a family of four with the adoption of Steve’s little sister, Patty, when Steve was two years old. When Steve turned five, the family moved to a neighborhood in Los Altos, where father and son would often tinker with cars.
“I wasn’t that into fixing cars,” Steve would later explain. “But I was eager to hang out with my dad.”
This love of exploring was fostered by his father, while his mother instilled a love for learning. She taught Steve to read before he started Kindergarten.
“I thought my dad’s sense of design was pretty good,” Steve recalled. “He knew how to build anything. If we needed a cabinet, he would build it. When we built our fence, he gave me a hammer so I could work with him. He loved doing things right. He even cared about the look of the parts you couldn’t see.
While Steve did not have the same passion for automotive mechanics, his father introduced him to electronics and the critical role they played in vehicles.
“He showed me the rudiments of electronics, and I got very interested in that. Every weekend, there’d be a junkyard trip. We’d be looking for a generator, a carburetor, all sorts of components.”
The placement of Jobs’ home placed the family directly in the middle of the exploding tech boom. One of the fathers in the neighborhood was Larry Lang, who worked as an engineer for Hewlett-Packard (HP).
Paul Jobs eventually encouraged his son to accept neighbor Larry Lang’s invitation to join the Hewlett-Packard Explorers Club. The group of students would meet weekly in the company cafeteria.
“They would get an engineer from one of the labs to come talk about what he was working on,” Steve recalled. “My dad would drive me there. I was in heaven. I saw my first desktop computer there … It was huge, maybe forty pounds, but it was a beauty of a thing. I fell in love with it.”
When Steve needed some parts for a group project, he decided – on his own terms – to call Bill Hewlett, the CEO of HP. The two had a 20–minute phone conversation that ended with an offer for a summer internship. Steve gladly accepted.
The Knowledge and Impact of Adoption
Steve Jobs grew up knowing he was adopted.
“My parents were very open with me about that,” Steve explained to Walter Isaacson, author of his biography.
He did recall a disheartening moment when he was young. He told a neighbor that he was adopted, and the young girl asked: “So does that mean your real parents didn’t want you?”
“Lightning bolts went off in my head,” he recalled. “I remember running into the house, crying. And my parents said, ‘No, you have to understand.’ They were very serious and looked me straight in the eye. They said, ‘We specifically picked you out.’ Both of my parents said that and repeated it slowly for me. And they put an emphasis on every word in that sentence.”
While some critics suggested his career and personality were influenced by someone struggling with abandonment, Steve Jobs always strongly disagreed.
“Knowing I was adopted may have made me feel more independent, but I have never felt abandoned. I’ve always felt special. My parents made me feel special.”
And to anyone who tried suggesting that his adoptive parents were not his “real” parents, Steve would quickly correct with this response: “They were my parents. 1000%.”
The Rest is History
Steve Jobs’ birth parents married shortly after Steve’s adoption but later divorced in 1962. They had one child during their marriage – Steve’s biological sister, best-selling author Mona Simpson. The two met twenty years after her birth and quickly formed a deep and meaningful bond. Steve declined the opportunity to meet his birth father but gladly took the chance to meet his birth mother.
“I wanted to meet [her] mostly to see if she was okay and to thank her…” Steve explained. “She was 23 and she went through a lot to have me.”
It is impossible to know whether Steve Jobs’ adoption made him the visionary leader we know him as today. It is clear, however, that his upbringing and supportive family helped guide him to adulthood. His childhood in Los Altos certainly had an impact on his early love of technology, and his parents’ commitment to fostering a love of education encouraged him to go on to do great things with his life. Until – and beyond – his death, Steve Jobs significantly impacted multiple industries in our world, including personal computing, telecommunications, digital publishing, and more, with his innovations. His user-friendly tech products like the iPad and iPhone continue to inspire generations of entrepreneurs.
As someone who was always aware of his adoption, he had a keen sense of self and grew up knowing he was deeply loved and wanted. This is an incredible example for anyone touched by adoption. Whether you are an adoptive parent, a birth parent, an adoptee, or you are considering the adoption journey – we can all take a page from Jobs’ great family story.
Learn More About Adoption
If you would like to learn more about adoption, contact Adoptions With Love today. We can guide you through the adoption process – whether you are looking to adopt or are considering making an adoption plan for your child. Call 800-722-7731, text (confidentially) 617-777-0072, or contact us online.