LeapFrog Founder Mike Wood Dies by Assisted Suicide at 72 After Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Mike Wood, the founder of LeapFrog Enterprises, died by physician assisted suicide on April 10 at the age of 72

Mike Wood, the visionary entrepreneur and founder of LeapFrog Enterprises, died on April 10 at the age of 72 through physician-assisted suicide at Dignitas, a nonprofit clinic in Zurich, Switzerland. Surrounded by his family, Wood made the decision to end his life before his Alzheimer’s disease could progress too far.

Wood, a pioneer in educational technology, transformed childhood learning by combining innovation with empathy. His passing was confirmed by his family and the company he founded, which credited him with revolutionizing how millions of children across the globe learn to read. “His passion to find a new way to help children learn led to something remarkable,” LeapFrog said in a statement. “We are honored to continue what he started.”

He was suffering from Alzheimer's and decided to end his life at Dignitas - a nonprofit organization that offers physician assisted suicide in Zurich (pictured) - before the disease progressed too far

Swiss law allows assisted suicide as long as the motive is not selfish, and the individual is of sound mind. Clinics such as Dignitas require strict criteria including terminal illness, unendurable suffering, or disability. While many U.S. states are expanding access to physician-assisted death, Switzerland has allowed the practice under certain conditions since 1942.

Born on September 1, 1952, in Northern California, Wood was raised in Orinda, near Berkeley. He attended Miramonte High School, earned a B.A. from Stanford University in 1974, followed by an MBA from the Haas School of Business and a J.D. from UC Hastings (now UC Law San Francisco). He worked as an attorney before founding LeapFrog, an idea sparked by personal experience as a father.

Wood founded LeapFrog Enterprises in the 1990s after he noticed his then three-year-old son was struggling to read (pictured with actress Marcia Gay Harden)

Concerned that his three-year-old son Mat, who could recite the alphabet but struggled with phonics, would fall behind in reading, Wood began developing educational toys. Inspired by musical greeting cards, he created a prototype with plastic letters that produced sounds. Collaborating with Stanford educators and engineers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, he launched the Phonics Desk in 1995.

The product’s success attracted major investors including Michael Milken and Larry Ellison. Their company, Knowledge Universe, acquired a majority stake in LeapFrog in 1997, enabling further innovation. Wood then introduced the LeapPad—an interactive learning system that sold for under $50 at Toys R Us, becoming the bestselling toy of the 2000 holiday season.

Wood, pictured with his grandchildren, first created the Phonics Desk - which was released in 1995

By 2001, LeapFrog’s reading tools were in 2,500 schools and nine million homes by 2002. The company’s IPO that year soared by nearly 99%, making it the most successful public offering of the year. Wood stepped down from LeapFrog in 2004 after leading it to global prominence with products in over 25 countries and six languages.

Described as a passionate and demanding leader, former colleagues fondly recalled his dedication to the company’s mission. “He felt everything deeply—our work, our mission, our audience,” said Chris D’Angelo, a former LeapFrog executive. Known for his “high hair days” when stressed, Wood's intensity reflected the weight of his responsibilities. “There would be four or five problems on my desk every day that had no good answer,” he once said.

In more recent years, Wood would volunteer as a reading teacher at a school near his home

After stepping down, Wood founded Smarty Ants, an online reading platform he later sold, and spent his later years volunteering as a reading teacher at a local school serving disadvantaged children. He brought in his old products, hosted pizza parties, and relished helping kids learn to read.

Wood is survived by his wife, Leslie Harlander, his high school sweetheart whom he married in 2021, his brothers Tim and Denis, his son Mat, and three grandchildren.