Who led the original Macintosh project before Steve Jobs took it over?

Jef Raskin led the original Macintosh project before Steve Jobs took it over.

Raskin, an Apple employee and human-computer interaction specialist, began the Macintosh project in 1979. He envisioned an affordable, easy-to-use computer for ordinary people rather than a high-end machine aimed mainly at technical users.

Steve Jobs became increasingly involved in the project after visiting the Macintosh team. His focus on graphical design, typography, and integrated hardware helped redirect the computer toward the product that Apple launched in 1984. Raskin left Apple in 1982 after disagreements about the project’s direction.

Andy Hertzfeld and Bill Atkinson were important Macintosh engineers, but neither originally led the project. Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple and designed major early Apple computers, yet he was not the original Macintosh project leader.