August 6, 1997 — The day Apple and Microsoft made peace

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs came together 28 years ago, when Microsoft agreed to invest $150 million in Apple stock. The deal shocked Apple purists, but it helped put Apple on a firm footing for a few reasons — and made the company’s historic run possible in the second Steve Jobs era.

Steve Jobs (left) and Bill Gates in 2007 — image credit: D5 Conference

In August of 1997, Steve Jobs had just become Apple’s de facto interim CEO, following the ouster of previous CEO Gil Amelio. Jobs acted quickly with a series of moves, including cancelling the Newton, Cyberdog, and other product lines developed during his exile from the company.

But Jobs’ next move was even more bold and shocking. In an effort to bring the company into financial solvency, Jobs did the unthinkable: He made a deal with Bill Gates and Microsoft.

Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

About The Author

Syndication

See author's posts