Chrisann Brennan is an American painter and writer who is best known for being Steve Jobs’s former flame. To the average person, the wealthy crown prince of Silicon Valley’s lady love and the mother of his child may appear stylish and joyful, but the Brennan-Job relationship had more depths than anyone knew. Brennan and Jobs were as close as they were poles apart, earning the nickname “fire and ice” for their friendship. They appeared to be involved with each other one moment and bored to death the next. Jobs and Brennan never married despite being in a long-term relationship and even giving birth to his daughter. Brennan became one of Jobs’ rock solid pillars when he decided to focus his energies on Apple. She aided Jobs in making his idea a reality. She even worked in the company’s Shipping Department and was offered a position creating designs, which she later turned down owing to her pregnancy. Brennan works as a painter and is a passionate art aficionado. In 2013, she resurfaced in the spotlight with her biography ‘The Bite in the Apple,’ in which she discussed Jobs, their relationship, and his status as a ‘smart misfit’ in the social circle.
Childhood and Adolescence
Chrisann Brennan was born in Dayton, Ohio, to James Richard Brennan and Virginia Lavern Rickey on September 29, 1954. She was one of the couple’s four daughters. Chrisann is named after the chrysanthemum flower.
Chrisann was dyslexic as a child. This set her apart from the rest of her classmates. She was inventive, yet odd. She was an intelligent student who did not follow the rules.
Chrisann grew up in a family that was frequently on the road. They resided in a number of locales before settling in Sunnyvale, California, including Colorado Springs and Nebraska. Chrisann and his mother moved to Buffalo, New York, after her parents split.
She went at Cupertino, California’s Homestead High School. It was here that she met Steve Jobs for the first time. She enrolled in an arts class after graduating from high school.
Career of Chrisann Brennan
Chrisann Brennan started connected with a Zen Buddhist community in Los Altos in early 1975. She wasn’t in frequent contact with Steve Jobs at the time, who had gone to India for a short time but had returned. She ran into Jobs again at the community service program. They collaborated with Zen master Kobun.
In the meanwhile, she enrolled at Foothill College, where she studied under Gordon Holler. Jobs, on the other hand, spent much of his time collaborating with Kobun and Woz. After that, she took a journey to India.
Chrisann Brennan paid a visit to Jobs after returning from India. Jobs was working on the first prototype of an Apple computer at the time. The duo spent more time working on the device together. They stayed together at Duveneck Ranch, where she got a teaching job with inner-city kids.
The success of Apple affected their relationship even further. They were like fire and ice, melting for each other one moment and then being freezing frigid the next. They shared the residence with Daniel Kottke to break up their intense relationship.
Apple has evolved into a ground-breaking firm with a global presence. Chrisann, who had hoped to pursue a career in the arts, decided against it and instead accepted a position in Apple’s Shipping Department. Along with Richard Johnson and Bob Martinengo, she was responsible for testing, assembling, and distributing Apple IIs. Meanwhile, she continued to pursue her art love by enrolling in a course at De Anza College.
Chrisann Brennan was offered an internship program at Apple, where she would develop blueprints. However, due to her pregnancy, she declined the offer. She walked away from Apple. She started cleaning houses to get money because she didn’t have any other options, and she combined her employment with Zen meditation.
Chrisann labored as a laborer while Steve Jobs became a fortune thanks to Apple. She worked as a waitress in Palo Alto. She finally chose to complete her official schooling in the late 1980s. Jobs financed her tuition at the California College of Arts and Crafts, where she studied.
Chrisann Brennan moved to the San Francisco Art Institute in 1989. She is currently based in Monterey, California, where she works as a painter. She primarily caters to private and business events.
‘The Bite in the Apple: A Memoir of My Life with Steve Jobs’ was published in 2013. The book, which was published by St Martin’s Press, had a mixed response from the general audience. It focused on Brennan’s smoldering love for Jobs and the birth of their daughter.
Major Projects of Chrisann Brennan
Chrisann Brennan may have acquired notoriety as a result of her friendship with Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, but she has a lot more going on in her life than that. She is a talented painter who has created murals at the Ronald McDonald House, Los Angeles County Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Packard Children’s Hospital, among others. She’s also written a memoir on his life called ‘The Bite in the Apple,’ which has brought her a lot of attention.
Personal History and Legacy
Chrisann Brennan met Steve Jobs, who was her senior, for the first time in 1972. Jobs received his diploma from Homestead the same year. After that, he rented a house for the two of them to reside in. Jobs enrolled at Reed College after that.
Jobs dropped out of college a year later, in 1973. Meanwhile, Chrisann, who was a senior at the time, graduated from Homestead. She enrolled in an art class despite having no ambitions to attend college.
Despite Jobs’ insistence that they live together in the same house, she refused, and the two lived separately. While Jobs began dating other women, Chrisann was also interested in another woman. Despite this, they were unable to sever the connection.
Steve Jobs and Chrisann Brennan had a tumultuous relationship. They didn’t break up or commit to each other.
Brennan was working as a babysitter or a salesgirl, while Jobs was working on the West Coast. They kept linked with one another despite growing apart and seeing other men and women on a regular basis.
Chrisann had a brief relationship with Job’s former classmate Greg Calhoun in 1975. They traveled to India together and even remained together. Their relationship, however, soured after they returned from the vacation, and they split up.
Chrisann paid a visit to Jobs after returning from India. It was around this period that their love grew once more. They were an outspoken couple who could be all lovey-dovey one minute and chilly and aloof the next.
Chrisann became pregnant with Job’s child during Apple’s early years of prosperity. He refused to accept the increased responsibilities, and she was undecided about having an abortion. Finally, she made the decision to give birth to the child.
Lisa, her daughter, was born on May 17, 1978, when she was 23 years old. Despite his reluctance to take on the task, Jobs called his new creation Apple LISA (Local Integrated Software Architecture). Chrisann raised Lisa on her own, without the assistance of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs first denied paternity, but when a DNA test proved paternity, he accepted the child and agreed to pay Chrisann monthly support. The father and daughter formed a friendly bond over time.
Estimated Net Worth
She has amassed a significant amount of wealth over the years. She has a net worth of $250 million at the moment. Her autobiography and painting business provide the majority of her income.