Allen Paltrow was a 10 year old boy when he was invited to attent the grand opening of Apple’s flagship retail store in New York City. He was invited by Apple’s co-founder and then-CEO, Steve Jobs.
How did Allen earn such an invitation? He showed his enthusiasm for Apple by shaving the Apple logo into the back of his head. A chain of events led to him having one of the most amazing experiences of his life.
“Growing up I was a huge apple fan-boy (fine, still am.) The first NY apple store in Soho opening was probably the coolest thing that happened to me between the ages 6 and 12. For a while I would spend almost every weekend there. Every year for halloween I was a mac, and I made a habit of shaving the Apple logo into my head to celebrate every OS launch. “
Allen loved Apple as a young boy so much that his parents even let him get $800 in Apple stock. Allen heard that Steve Jobs reads email sent to his [email protected] address, so the 10 year old sent an, “enthusiastic and grammatically incorrect message including a picture of my shaved head.”
Not only did Jobs end up reading the email, but he forwarded it to his head of PR, Katie. She then invited Allen to attent alongside tech pundits and journalists at the opening of the 5th Avenue ‘Cube’ store in New York City. He was later invited to tour Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino with his family. Allen remembers the moment as, “the high point of my childhood.”
Obviously, we at Cult of Mac have a special place in our hearts for Allen’s fandom and signature haircut. His story of meeting Steve Jobs inspires the Apple fan in all of us.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Allen Paltrow is now a 19 year old sophomore at Princeton studying computer science. He told the Journal that, “He [Steve Jobs] was the first celebrity of any type that I could recognize.”
Stories like this one are what make Apple special.
Alex Heath is a journalist who works for Tech Insider. He’s the former co-host of The CultCast. He has been quoted by the likes of the BBC, KRON 4 News, and books like “ICONIC: A Photographic Tribute to Apple Innovation.” He lives in Lexington, Kentucky. If you want to pitch a story, share a tip, or just get in touch, additional contact information is available on his personal site. Follow him on Twitter.
39 responses to “An Inspiring Story About a Young Apple Fan’s Experience With Steve Jobs”
Apple isn’t just a brand, it’s an inspiration for all of us..
How much would that stock be worth today assuming he hadn’t sold it?
oh good grief
MrHawk, the URL is “CULTofmac.com” if you think inspiration is over the top, you could always browse another site :)
I’d be proud if this was my child.
approximately $25,000
I agree completely. Apple has made my life more interesting and fun, and fun is what life is all about.
Y’know He could be the cult of mac ‘icon’… :)
Lucky guy. I could say that I’d love to experience what he has. I hope I get to meet Steve Jobs in this life time, It’d be an honor and an awesome experience. Been a fanboy and mac user since 93. I was only 8 :)
Well, what about THAT guy????
Now, I don’t mean to nitpick here, but how can he have been 10 years old in 2006 and now be 19 years old, 5 years later?
Well that is because he shook hands with Steve Jobs. That automatically added 4 years of intellect and now he is 19 years old. Isn’t is MAGICAL?
Someone didn’t check the all the facts… tisk tisk
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That could very well be helping pay his way through college. Steve helps again
Check the name of the blog you’re at before you get upset at people showing their love for Apple
Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field can alter time itself.
It didn’t say he was 10 in 2006, it said he was 10 when he wrote the e-mail. “When he was 10, Mr. Paltrow sent Mr. Jobs an
impassioned email about how much he loved Apple products that earned his family
a tour of the company’s headquarters. His parents let him buy $800 of Apple
stock. He began shaving an Apple logo into the back of his head.” So, if he’s 19 now, he sent the e-mail in 2002. So in 2006, he was 14, and he met Jobs, apparently still shaving the “apple” into his head.
Well, that makes it perfectly acceptable then.
Glad we had this talk.
I bet you feel like a real class-act now, don’t you?
How lucky Allen is to be able to shook the hands of the late Steve Jobs! He is lucky to be able to see him in person, the man behind apple!