CIA funding helped NeXT survive in the 1980s
Original: CIA funding helped keep NeXT afloat in the 80s
Why This Matters
Reveals undisclosed Cold War-era U.S. intelligence investment in foundational consumer computing technology.
Newly reported information from the Wall Street Journal reveals that the CIA provided funding that helped Steve Jobs' company NeXT remain financially viable during the 1980s, shedding light on a previously undisclosed intelligence agency investment in Silicon Valley.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, the CIA played a role in keeping Steve Jobs' post-Apple venture NeXT afloat during the 1980s through funding assistance. NeXT was founded by Jobs in 1985 after his ouster from Apple, and the company was known for developing advanced workstation hardware and the NeXTSTEP operating system. The company struggled financially throughout much of its existence before Apple acquired it in 1997 for approximately $429 million — a deal that ultimately brought Jobs back to Apple and whose software foundation became the basis for macOS, iOS, and other Apple platforms. The CIA's reported involvement suggests U.S. intelligence agencies had an interest in NeXT's advanced computing technology during the Cold War era. The full scope and terms of the CIA's financial support, as well as which CIA-affiliated entities channeled the funding, are detailed in the WSJ investigation. This revelation adds a significant and previously unknown chapter to the well-documented history of Silicon Valley's early relationship with U.S. government and defense-linked investment.