<ul><li>December 20, 1996: Apple Computer buys NeXT, the company Steve Jobs founded after leaving Cupertino a decade earlier.</li><li>The deal costs Apple $429 million and brings back Steve Jobs as a major part of the acquisition.</li><li>Jobs initially wasn't intended to be Apple's CEO, but less than a year later, he becomes the new CEO.</li><li>The acquisition also includes NeXTSTEP, an operating system that later becomes the basis for OS X and macOS.</li></ul>

Today in Apple history: NeXT buyout brings Steve Jobs back to Cupertino

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