What happened at the Homebrew Computer Club 50 years ago: Apple was born, and a revolution began

In March 1975, The Eagles’ Best of My Love, was the number one song, the top box office movie was The Godfather Part II, and All in the Family was the most popular TV show. However, I was most excited about the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer, arguably the first PC. I wasn’t alone. At Gordon French’s garage in Menlo Park, California on March 5, 1975, a small group of electronic enthusiasts gathered to look at the computer for the first time and the world would never be the same again.

Little did they know that this modest meeting would spark a technological revolution that would change the world. The Homebrew Computer Club, founded by French and Fred Moore, quickly became a nexus for innovation, collaboration, and the democratization of computing technology. You see, present at this first meeting of programmers, electrical engineers, and computer hobbyists was Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder.  

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At that meeting, Wozniak, inspired by the company and the Altair device, decided to build his own computer. This move was made to impress his geekish friends and, as he said in his biography, iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: “I designed Apple’s first products, the Apple I and II computers… because I wanted to use them and they didn’t exist.”

Later, his friend Steve Jobs joined him at the club’s biweekly meetings. The get-togethers became a hotbed of ideas and creativity. The club quickly outgrew the garage and subsequent meetings were held at various locations, including the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). 

Wherever the group met, its members came together to discuss the latest developments in personal computing, exchange schematics, and share programming tips. This open exchange of knowledge and resources proved fertile ground for groundbreaking innovations.

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Woz later recalled: “Without computer clubs there would probably be no Apple computers. Our club in the Silicon Valley, the Homebrew Computer Club, was among the first of its kind. It was in early 1975, and a lot of tech-type people would gather and trade integrated circuits back and forth. You could have called it Chips and Dips. We had similar interests and we were there to help other people, but we weren’t official and we weren’t formal.”

Liza Loop, the first woman member of the club recalled: “Two things made the (club) so successful. One was where it was, because it was in Silicon Valley…The other thing was the California counter-culture which encouraged the free exchange of ideas.”

Woz was shy: “I only talked about the newest feature in the Apple 1.” Fellow founding Homebrew member Lee Felsenstein, however, remembered how at later meetings, Wozniak “staked out the only seat with a power outlet.”

Felsenstein would later design the Osborne computer in 1981. The Osborne, which ran CP/M-80, was the first portable “luggable” computer. At the meetings, Felsenstein would, Woz reminisced, “get up at every meeting and announce the convening of ‘the Homebrew Computer Club which does not exist’ and everyone would applaud happily.”

Unlike Silicon Valley today, this was an informal group and not money-driven. That emphasis would change.  

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Woz wrote: “The Apple I and II were designed strictly on a hobby, for-fun basis, not to be a product for a company. They were meant to bring down to the club and put on the table during the random access period, and demonstrate: Look at this, it uses very few chips. It’s got a video screen. You can type stuff on it. Personal computer keyboards and video screens were not well established then. There was a lot of showing off to other members of the club. Schematics of the Apple I were passed around freely, and I’d even go over to people’s houses and help them build their own.”

Jobs, however, had other ideas. Woz said: ” Steve wanted to have a successful product, go out and start selling it, and make some money. He also had excellent product ideas for the upcoming home personal computer.” Well, that certainly turned out to be true. 

Another well-known computer figure, Bill Gates, wasn’t keen on the Homebrew crew’s free and open attitude about software and hardware. Although he was not a member, Gates, who was then going by the name ‘William Henry Gates III’, published an article, “Open Letter to Hobbyists“,  in the Homebrew Computer Club’s newsletter. 

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Gates, who then lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, had released his first commercial program, Altair BASIC. He objected to people using his software without paying for it: “Most of you steal your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to share. The royalty paid to us, the manual, the tape, and the overhead make it a break-even operation. One thing you do is prevent good software from being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing?”

So, as you can see, the battle between proprietary and open-source software approaches dates to the start of personal computing.

The Homebrew Computer Club’s influence extended far beyond Apple. Many other successful tech entrepreneurs and companies in the early PC days trace their roots back to the club. 

Besides Apple and Osborne, Cromemco, a builder of high-end Z80-based S-100 bus computers and peripherals, got its start from club meetings. Bob Marsh, founder of Processor Technology, also started at the club. Processor Technology created 4K memory boards for the Altair and then introduced the Sol-20, the first fully assembled PC. Finally, the IMSAI 8080, an Altair clone, sprang from the club. 

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The IMSAI 8080 was also the first microcomputer I got my hands on. The kit cost $439 in 1975, which is $2,805 in 2025, so I couldn’t afford one. Even so, many of you likely have seen the IMSAI in action. That’s because the device was the computer used in WarGames, an early hacker film starring Matthew Broderick.

The club’s legacy isn’t just about the companies it spawned but also about the culture it fostered. The club played a pivotal role in democratizing access to computers and showed that these machines could be personal tools, not just devices for large corporations or research institutions.

Although the Homebrew Computer Club officially disbanded in 1986, its spirit of innovation, collaboration, and Do-It-Yourself ethos inspires makers and tech enthusiasts globally today. The club’s influence can be seen in modern hackerspaces, maker faires, and open-source software communities.

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Today, the club’s story should remind us that great innovations often start with passionate individuals coming together to share ideas and push the boundaries of what’s possible.