[Image: Facebook]
Mike Wood, the brain behind the beloved LeapFrog toy empire, chose to check out on his own terms.
The 72-year-old entrepreneur died via physician-assisted suicide in Switzerland, taking his final bow at the nonprofit Dignitas in Zurich on Thursday, April 10.
His brother, Tim, broke the news to The New York Times, sharing that Mike passed away “surrounded by family.” A bittersweet exit, but one entirely on his own script.
The reason was the dreaded Alzheimer’s, a brutal disease that doesn’t fight fair. Mike decided he wasn’t going to let it rob him of his mind piece by piece. As The Times put it, he wanted to go “before the disease progressed too far.”
LeapFrog, the company that became a household name thanks to Mike’s genius, dropped a statement on Instagram that tugged at all the right heartstrings:
“We are saddened by the loss of LeapFrog founder, Mike Wood. He was an innovative leader whose passion to find a new way to help his child learn led to something remarkable.”
“His passion was transformed into a company that has helped millions of children learn to read, and so much more. We loved working with Mike and are honored to continue what he started.”
It didn’t take long for the comments section to light up with memories and gratitude. One commenter summed it up simply:
R.I.P Mike Wood def remember having leapfrog when I was younger and I enjoyed it pic.twitter.com/oeaZkA4Snn
— ⛈sharker102s (@sharker102s) April 21, 2025
Another laid it on thick in the best way:
Without leapfrog, I wouldn’t be where I am today when it came to education. Thank you for helping millions of children learn Mike Wood! May you rest in peace. https://t.co/ELDOakcEeT
— VexillumVixen(COMMISSIONS OPEN!) (@VexillumVixen) April 19, 2025
And it’s no wonder people are feeling all the feels. The LeapPad, launched in 1999, wasn’t just a toy. Overnight, LeapFrog went beyond a brand to become the educational staple in homes and classrooms everywhere.
Mike tapped out of the CEO life in 2004, and by 2014, he was decidedly over it, telling The Wall Street Journal, “In 2003, we had 1,000 employees, $650 million in revenue, $60 million in earnings, and I had a headache every day. There would be four or five problems on my desk every day that had no good answer — you had to pick the least worst answer.”
Although he knew corporate burnout all too well, retirement didn’t sit right with him either.
“It’s not necessarily a good thing to retire when you’re young,” he told the outlet, explaining, “I think our brains are like the muscles in our arms. If we use them, really use them, they stay strong. And it’s hard to do that in retirement.”
So naturally, he dove into his next brainchild, an online learning platform called SmartyAnts. And then his brain couldn’t cope.
Mike Wood is survived by his brothers Tim and Denis, his son Mat, three grandchildren, and his ex-wife Susan (Cotter) Wood, according to The Times.
The man helped a generation learn to read, and knew when to write the final chapter himself.
[Source: People]
