Rod Holt

Frederick Rodney "Rod" Holt (born 1934) is an American engineer who developed the switched-mode power supply for the Apple II computer.

Education
Holt attended Wellesley High School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Ohio State University, where he also completed his graduate studies.

Career
Steve Jobs recruited Holt, who was an analog engineer at Atari, to work on the power supply for the Apple II under a contract for $200 per day in 1976. Holt designed an efficient switched power supply that generated less heat because the Apple II's plastic case could not conduct heat well and Jobs insisted on the absence of a fan.

Apple Computer
In 1977, Holt was brought into Apple Computer as employee #5 and became chief engineer, after case designer Jerry Manock had declined a full-time position. When Apple went public in December 1980, Holt's share of the company was worth $75 million. However, Holt stated that he was forced out of the company by new management in 1983.