From 1987 to 1997, Bill Gates was the sole star of the decade. By 1997, Microsoft had become a 'monster' with a market capitalization of $250 billion.
What about Apple? In 1996, it posted a $1 billion loss, and the figure was still expanding. Under the tenure of several outsiders, Apple lost all the innovative capabilities that had once made it so successful.
Perhaps it was time for Apple’s outcast to return. On December 2, 1996, Jobs returned to Apple headquarters for the first time since leaving in 1985. 'This is the first time I have set foot on Apple's land since 1985,' he said. In a conference room on the 8th floor, a desperate Apple fired its then-CEO Gil Amelio.
Upon his return, Jobs understood clearly that his lifelong enemy was not anyone else but Bill Gates, who was engaged in a prolonged legal battle with Apple.
Jobs was about to make a bold move that would leave everyone in awe. On August 6, 1997, persuaded by Jobs, Gates purchased $150 million worth of non-voting Apple shares. This capital saved the struggling Apple. In return, Apple dropped its copyright infringement lawsuit against Microsoft and pre-installed Internet Explorer and Office on every Macintosh. Gates smiled even brighter; perhaps he had already forgotten the quote he once loved best: 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.'
1997, Boston MacWorld Expo. Jobs re-emerged. The 'king's' temples had turned gray, but he still wore his signature black turtleneck sweater and Levi's jeans.
At the time, he was Apple's 'interim CEO,' earning a symbolic annual salary of $1. 'We must abandon the notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft must lose,' Jobs announced to the world regarding the Apple-Microsoft partnership. Behind him, Bill Gates nodded with a smile. He could not imagine that this move was essentially releasing a tiger back into the mountain.
And thus, we entered Apple's golden decade. In just one year, Jobs turned Apple from loss to profit.
In 1998, Apple launched the iMac laptop.
In 2001, iPod and iTunes emerged—Jobs brought Apple into the world of music.
In 2007, Jobs introduced the touchscreen smartphone—the iPhone, bringing Apple to the mobile industry with remarkable foresight.
Then came the iPad and iPhone 4 in 2010.
On October 4, 2011, at the iPhone 4s launch event, Jobs was unable to attend. The very next day, Jobs left us forever.
In just a short decade, Apple transformed from a company on the brink of bankruptcy into a vast empire, with Jobs as its absolute monarch.
