Bill Gates and proposed him to solve the several disputes between their respective companies. The deal included the end of all patent lawsuits, a promise to keep releasing Mac versions of Microsoft Office for five years in exchange of making Internet Explorer the default Web browser on the Mac, and a $150 million investment in Apple from Microsoft, in the form of non-voting shares.

When Steve Jobs unveiled the deal in August at Macworld Boston 1997, the Apple fans in the room welcomed the announcements with screams of reprehension. They were especially startled when Bill Gates’ face appeared on the huge screen of the room, curiously reminiscent of the 1984 ad against IBM. After all, Steve himself had often called Microsoft “the IBM of the 1990s.”

It was during that same keynote that Steve Jobs hinted at the new marketing strategy for Apple. He