Bill Gates Invests in Apple to Help Company Recover

Bill Gates invested $150 million in Apple in 1997 to help the company recover from a difficult period. This investment was a significant move, as it gave Microsoft a 1.5% stake in Apple.

The investment was made through a convertible bond, which allowed Microsoft to convert the bond into Apple stock at a later date. This move helped Apple raise the capital it needed to recover from a major decline in its stock price.

In 1997, Apple's market value had dropped to just $2 billion, down from a peak of over $10 billion in 1980. This decline was largely due to the company's struggles to compete with Microsoft in the rapidly growing PC market.

Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy at one point, which is a scary thought considering how big they are today.

Bill Gates invested $150 million in Apple to help them get back on their feet.

This investment was a significant amount of money at the time, and it's clear that Bill Gates believed in the potential of Apple's future success.

Apple gave Bill Gates non-voting shares in exchange for his investment, which is a clever move considering he didn't want to have any direct control over the company.

Apple also dropped its lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming they had copied their operating system, as part of the deal with Bill Gates.

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Bill Gates secretly purchased 501,044 shares of Apple stock through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation a few months ago, with no media spotlight.

This purchase was made on top of his earlier investment of $150 million in Apple stock in August 1997, which saved the Cupertino company from bankruptcy.

Bill Gates' strong belief in the return of Steve Jobs was a key factor in his decision to invest in Apple, as he thought it could change Apple's financial problems.

In exchange for his $150 million investment, Apple gave Bill Gates non-voting shares and dropped its lawsuit against Microsoft.

Steve Jobs himself acknowledged Bill Gates' investment, saying it was a crucial move to save Apple from a "zero-sum game" where Apple had to lose for Microsoft to win.

Bill Gates' investment helped Apple's stock increase by about 25 percent since then, after it had slumped earlier in the year.

Steve Jobs once told Bill Gates, "The world's a better place", after Gates agreed to make a $150 million investment in Apple. This quote was even featured on the cover of Time Magazine.

Jobs and Gates met on-stage at the D5 tech conference, where they shared their thoughts on their collaboration.