Microsoft Saved Apple in 1997 — The $150 Million Deal Nobody Expected

Microsoft saves Apple in 1997 with an unexpected $150 million deal. Why does Apple's oldest enemy step in when the company is close to collapse? On August 6, 1997, Steve Jobs walks onto the stage at Macworld Expo in Boston. Thin and visibly unwell, he faces a silent crowd. Then he makes an announcement: Apple will accept $150 million from Microsoft, its oldest enemy. A giant screen shows Bill Gates smiling twenty feet above the stage. The crowd boos. Apple is just 90 days from bankruptcy. So what does Microsoft get in return? The deal includes five years of Microsoft Office for Mac, Internet Explorer as the default browser, and a truce over patent disputes. Neither company will call it charity. Jobs stands before the stunned audience as the deal becomes public. Chapters: 00:00 The Enemy on the Screen 01:54 A Billion-Dollar Hole 03:54 The Weapon Nobody Mentions 05:28 The Return of the Founder 06:49 The Deal, Decoded 08:55 The Great Subtraction 11:02 Proof 12:10 The Real Lesson ▶ Watch next: The $50 Million Mistake That Killed Blockbuster —    • The $50 Million Mistake That Killed Blockb...   ▶ All Boardroom Stories stories in one playlist:    • More Boardroom Stories   A new company story every week — subscribe to Boardroom Stories.