Steve Jobs Job Application Paper Auctioned Through Physical Format And NFT, Which Is The Bigger Bid?

Steve Jobs and his 1973 handwritten job application. (photo: rr auction)

JAKARTA – Steve Jobs' 1973 job application paper, which he wrote three years before co-founding Apple with Steve Wozniak, is up for auction again. But this time, there was something different and unique. This is the “world's first physical vs. NFT auction.”

Those who are interested can place their bets on either the physical version or the non-fungible token (NFT) variant. Those behind the process also want others to know the value attached to the two different formats.

“Which do we value more, The Physical or The Digital?” the auctioneer said in a note published on the website where the auction is currently taking place.

This is a one-page job application letter that Jobs wrote after he dropped out of Reed College in Portland, USA. On his application, he expressed interest in an electronics, technology, or design engineer position. However, the newspaper did not list the name of the company or employer for which the application was intended. Among his skills, Jobs has listed computer and calculator experience.

This is the third time the application has been auctioned off in the last four years. Prior to this, the last auction was in March 2021, when it reportedly sold for £162,000. A report by CNET stated that two other instances when job applications were auctioned were for 18,750 (approximately Rp373 million) in 2017.

Auction organizers say they are, for the first time, putting proponents of the physical and digital worlds are side by side and against each other to understand what brings more value in people's eyes as we look towards the future.

“It's not just Steve Jobs NFT — unique, historic, and extraordinary," they said, adding that it's a broader question for the marketplace — where are we headed, as an ever-digitalized society. Furthermore, they say that the auction also marks a psychological shift: “It's not Beeple vs Picasso, it's a matter of taste — and ultimately subjective. It's Steve Jobs vs Steve Jobs."

According to the Steve Jobs Job Application website, as of 13:10 western Indonesia time, Friday, July 23, the physical format of the application won by a large margin. So far, there have been 18 bids for physical job applications, with the highest bidding figure being 32,000 (approximately Rp636 million). However, for the NFT format, so far only 9 bids have been placed with the highest bid value being ETH 0.50, which equates to approximately USD 1,039 (approximately Rp20 million). There are still five more days before the offer ends.