Microsoft

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. The company's name combined 'microcomputer' and 'software.'

Microsoft signed a contract with IBM to provide the operating system for IBM's first personal computer. Microsoft purchased QDOS for $50,000, rebranded it as MS-DOS, and retained licensing rights — a deal that made Microsoft dominant.

Microsoft launched Windows 1.0, a graphical extension for MS-DOS featuring a GUI with drop-down menus, scroll bars, and icons. While modest at launch, Windows became the world's dominant desktop operating system.

Microsoft went public at $21 per share, raising $61 million. The IPO made Bill Gates an instant millionaire and created thousands of millionaire employees as the stock soared over the following decades.

Microsoft released Microsoft Office, bundling Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single productivity suite. Office became the standard business software and one of Microsoft's most profitable product lines for decades.

Microsoft released Windows 95, a revolutionary operating system featuring the Start menu, taskbar, and plug-and-play hardware support. The launch was a cultural phenomenon with massive marketing campaigns, including the Rolling Stones' 'Start Me Up' as its theme song. Windows 95 sold over 7 million copies in its first five weeks and cemented Microsoft's dominance in personal computing.

Microsoft entered the video game console market with the Xbox, challenging Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo. The Xbox brand grew into a major gaming ecosystem with Xbox Live, Game Pass, and the acquisitions of Mojang, Bethesda, and Activision Blizzard.

Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 video game console, succeeding the original Xbox and competing with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. The Xbox 360 introduced Xbox Live, an online multiplayer service with achievements, digital game downloads, and streaming media capabilities. It sold over 84 million units worldwide and established Microsoft as a major force in the gaming industry.

Microsoft launched its Bing search engine on June 3, 2009, replacing Live Search with a new brand focused on 'decision engines' that helped users make choices. Bing incorporated a visually rich homepage, categorized search results, and integration with Microsoft products. It became the second-largest search engine in the U.S. and powered Yahoo Search through a partnership deal.

Microsoft released Windows 7 on October 22, 2009, following the poorly received Windows Vista. The operating system focused on improved performance, a refined taskbar with pinning capabilities, and better touch and handwriting support. Windows 7 sold over 100 million copies in its first six months and became one of the most successful and beloved Windows versions in Microsoft's history.

Microsoft launched Azure, its cloud computing platform, competing directly with Amazon Web Services. Under Satya Nadella's leadership, Azure became the world's second-largest cloud platform and a primary growth driver for the company.

Satya Nadella became Microsoft's third CEO, shifting the company's strategy from Windows-centric to cloud-first and AI-driven. In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, its largest acquisition at the time, followed by GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion.

Microsoft acquired GitHub, the world's largest software development platform with over 28 million developers, for $7.5 billion in stock. The acquisition signaled Microsoft's transformation under CEO Satya Nadella into a company more welcoming to open-source software. GitHub continued to operate independently and remained the central hub for open-source collaboration globally.

Microsoft released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021, featuring a major visual redesign with centered Start menu and taskbar, rounded corners, and new productivity features like Snap Layouts. Windows 11 required TPM 2.0 security hardware, setting a new baseline for PC security. The release marked Microsoft's renewed focus on the desktop experience after years of Windows 10 updates.

Microsoft announced a multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI, integrating ChatGPT into Bing, Azure, and Microsoft 365. The partnership positioned Microsoft as the leading enterprise AI platform, with Copilot becoming a flagship AI assistant across its product line.

Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the largest deal in video game history, after a protracted regulatory battle. The acquisition added blockbuster franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush to Microsoft's gaming portfolio. It positioned Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass as the 'Netflix of gaming' and made Microsoft the third-largest gaming company by revenue.

Microsoft became the second publicly traded company after Nvidia to cross a USD 4 trillion market capitalization, following a better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings report showing sustained growth in cloud, Azure, Copilot, and generative AI adoption. Microsoft shares climbed more than 5% in after-hours trading, pushing its market value above the historic threshold. The milestone reflected the market's conviction that Microsoft's early and aggressive investment in AI, including its partnership with OpenAI and deep integration of Copilot across its product line, was producing tangible revenue growth.

Microsoft reported that Azure annual revenue surpassed $100 billion in fiscal year 2026 (ending June 2026), rising 41% over the prior year's $75 billion. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted the milestone alongside Azure's 43% Q4 cloud revenue growth and Microsoft 365 Copilot reaching over 30 million paid seats. The milestone cements Azure as a leading cloud platform behind AWS and a primary infrastructure provider for the AI era.