[1] Apollo was founded in 1990 by Leon Black, Josh Harris, and Marc Rowan, former investment bankers at the defunct Drexel Burnham Lambert.

[4] Among the most notable companies in which funds managed by the company have invested are ADT Inc., CareerBuilder, Cox Media Group, Intrado, Legendary Entertainment, Rackspace Technology, Redbox, Shutterfly, Sirius Satellite Radio, Qdoba, Smart & Final, The Restaurant Group, University of Phoenix, and Yahoo Inc.

Apollo raised around $400 million of investor commitments based on Leon Black's reputation as a prominent lieutenant of Michael Milken and a key player in the buyout boom of the 1980s.

[20] One of Apollo's earliest and most successful deals involved the acquisition of Executive Life Insurance Company's bond portfolio.

[21] In 1993, Apollo Real Estate Advisers was founded in collaboration with William Mack to seek opportunities in the U.S. property markets.

[32] Among the investments made in Fund IV (invested through 2001) were: Allied Waste Industries,[33] AMC Entertainment,[34] Berlitz International,[35] Clark Retail Enterprises,[36] Corporate Express (Buhrmann), Encompass Services Corporation, National Financial Partners,[37] Pacer International,[38] Rent-A-Center, Resolution Performance Products, Resolution Specialty Materials, Sirius Satellite Radio,[39] SkyTerra Communications, United Rentals, and Wyndham Worldwide.

The timing of this separation also coincided with Apollo's legal difficulties with the State of California over its purchase of Executive Life Insurance Company in 1991.

Noranda Aluminum includes a primary smelter and three rolling mills in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Arkansas along with other operations.

[68] In April 2007, Apollo acquired Realogy, a franchisor that owns Coldwell Banker, Century 21, and Sotheby's International Realty, for $8.5 billion.

As the United States housing market correction accelerated in 2008, Realogy faced financial pressures due to its debt load.

In November 2008, Realogy launched an exchange offer for a portion of its debt to provide additional flexibility, prompting a lawsuit from Carl Icahn.

[56][6][75] In January 2008, Apollo and TPG Capital acquired Harrah's Entertainment for $27.4 billion, including the assumption of existing debt.

The portfolio comprised primarily senior secured loans that had been made to finance leveraged-buyout transactions at the peak of the market.

[32] In May 2008, Apollo invested in Vantium, a company that buys residential mortgage assets as part of a strategy to profit from the United States housing market correction.

Apollo's 2005 investment in the struggling US retailer Linens 'n Things suffered from a significant debt burden and softening consumer demand.

[88] Apollo exercised its "PIK toggle" option at Claire's to shut off cash interest payments to its bondholders and instead issue more debt, to provide the company with additional financial flexibility.

[92] In November 2009, Liberty Global acquired Unity Media GMBH; funds managed by Apollo owned a 31% interest.

[109] On March 11, 2013, Apollo Global Management made the only bid for the snacks business of Hostess Brands, including Twinkies, for $410 million.

[110] In December 2013, Apollo bought a portfolio of Irish home loans from Lloyds Bank for €307 million, less than half their face value.

[152] On June 10, 2019, Apollo announced that it would acquire Shutterfly for $2.7 billion, as well as its competitor Snapfish in a separate transaction valued at around $300 million, with District Photo as a minority stakeholder.

[153] In August 2019, Apollo agreed to provide around $1.8 billion of debt financing to support New Media Investment Group's acquisition of Gannett.

[155][156] In November 2019, investment funds managed by Apollo acquired Florida-based Tech Data Corp. for $5.4 billion from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

[168][169] In September 2020, Apollo entered into a $5.5 billion real-estate investment partnership with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).

[170] In March 2021, Apollo Investment Corporation closed a $110 million mezzanine credit facility between LendingPoint and MidCap Financial Trust.

[171] In March 2021, Leon Black resigned as CEO and chairman after revelations that he paid Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for personal tax-related advice between 2012 and 2017.

[178][179] In July 2021, funds managed by Apollo acquired EmployBridge, a large industrial-staffing company that has been cited for dozens of safety violations and wage infractions.

[182] On January 31, 2022, a minority stake in Legendary was sold to Apollo Global Management, with Wanda Group still remaining the majority owner.

DXC, dealing with declining revenues, is also exploring selling its insurance software business but may stay independent under its new CEO Raul Fernandez.

The office said Lee Jae-hyun, former senior vice president of Samsung Securities, will serve as Apollo's partner and head of Korea.

Met Michelini, Asia-Pacific director, noted that the Korean retirement market is growing as people's lifespans are getting longer.