More myth. Microsoft did NOT bail out Apple when Steve Jobs came back.
In late 1997, Microsoft bought $150,000,000 of non-voting three year restricted, preferred Apple stock as part of a lawsuit settlement that MS essentially lost.
According to the settlement's three interlocking agreements, signed by Apple and Microsoft, instead of going to trial, losing and paying a major financial penalty, Microsoft capitulated and would:
On Apple's part, the agreements specified that Apple would:
At the time of the purchase, although they had posted a single quarter $67 million dollar loss, Apple was not in danger of going under. Apple had already posted a small profit in the most recent quarter and had $1.4 BILLION dollars in cash in the bank and in short term liquid assets. Ergo, it was not a bail-out. The myth that it was, was started about a year later by Microsoft. Microsoft, after the three year restriction on the stock was lifted, sold the stock for about $700 million... a nice profit.
After the five years of the agreements were over, Microsoft dropped support for Internet Explorer for Mac and Apple stopped shipping it with their New OS X computers.
These agreements have long since been made public and you can find them on the internet and read them.
I was misinformed then.
But I’m a Linux man so I don’t really care. :-P