Boy are your wrong. It was a LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT in which Micosoft essentially admitted wrongdoing by taking the brunt of the costs by paying Apple to dismiss the lawsuit.
Later testimony in the United States v. Microsoft case revealed that, at the time, Apple was threatening Microsoft with a multi-billion dollar lawsuit over the allegedly stolen code, and in return Bill Gates was threatening with the cancellation of Office for the Mac. [2] [3] In August 1997, Apple and Microsoft announced a settlement deal. Apple would drop all current lawsuits, including all lingering issues from the "Look & Feel" lawsuit and the "QuickTime source code" lawsuit, and agree to make Internet Explorer the default browser on the Macintosh unless the user explicitly chose the bundled Netscape browser. In return, Microsoft agreed to continue developing Office, Internet Explorer, and various developer tools and software for the Mac for the next 5 years, and purchase $150 million of non-voting Apple stock. The companies also agreed to mutual collaboration on Java technologies, and to cross-license all existing patents, and patents obtained during the five-year deal, with one another. [4] [5] [6]<
Years later the three interlocking contracts settling the suit and setting up the cross licensing were finally unsealed, and it turns out that Apple got Microsoft's IP for free for the life of the patents and copyrights while Microsoft was obligated to pay top dollar for Apple's Patents and Copyrights and the licenses expired at the end of the five year period. In addition the $150 million was a down payment on the licenses for the infringed patents and copyrights in suit, and Microsoft had to keep paying an undisclosed amount for the term of the five years of the contract. Forensic accountants have determined that Microsoft paid Apple almost $2 BILLION for their mis-appropriation of Apple's intellectual property over those five years, money that apparently went to fund the research that helped develop the iPod and IMac line.
At the time of your so-called settlement, Apple had had three profitable quarters, after posting one quarter with a $64 million loss, had over $2 BILLION in liquid assets, and was no where close to "bankruptcy." It was only a year later that the FUD started being spread about the $150 Million being a "bailout!" Companies do not put that amount of money in a company they are "bailing out" without getting voting rights and a seat on the board of directors. Microsoft got neither. It was not a bail out.
Lest you misconstrue my comment after yours, I noted the company was near bankruptcy before Jobs returned. It was headed that way, and Jobs pulled Apple back from the brink. Gates money had nothing to do with that.