Apple co-founder Wozniak bought bitcoin at $700 for fun: 'Now I'm way up'

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on bitcoin and blockchain Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on bitcoin and blockchain
CancelApple co-founder Steve Wozniak revealed he bought bitcoin when it was at at $700 during an interview with CNBC at eMerge Miami on Monday.

Wozniak didn't disclose how much he acquired, but the cryptocurrency surged above $3,000 over the weekend, meaning he gained $2,300 even if he just bought a single bitcoin.

"I remember getting interested in bitcoin some time ago," Wozniak said. "It was $70 for a bitcoin, man and I went online and you had to have a special bank account at a special bank and I couldn't buy any bitcoin so I gave up. Eventually I got some of them at the $700 stage and it went down to $350. I didn't invest, I did it so I could play with bitcoin."

Wozniak said he wanted to see what it was like to try to shop with bitcoin, at places like restaurants and hotels. "It's not that easy to do yet, but it's getting there. I was just playing around trying out how to buy and sell stuff and I didn't care I lost a ton of money, but now I'm way up," Wozniak added

Woz also touched on blockchain technology and why he thinks it's important. "I like the blockchain technology," he said. "Every single transaction is noted and saved, and that probably has a lot of good security and traceability and looking-back aspects to it ... That's probably why a lot of banks are interested in it."

Bitcoin was priced at about $700 in June of last year before losing value, and again in late October and early November before it began skyrocketing in value this year.