Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, later relocating its headquarters to Redmond, Washington. The company began as a developer of programming languages and operating systems, releasing MS-DOS in 1981 and Windows in 1985, and has since grown into one of the largest technology companies in the world by revenue and market capitalization.

Microsoft's product portfolio spans operating systems (Windows), productivity software (Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, and Teams), cloud computing (Azure), gaming (Xbox and Activision Blizzard, acquired in 2023), professional networking (LinkedIn, acquired in 2016), and developer tools (GitHub, acquired in 2018). The company has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, including a multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI and the integration of Copilot AI features across its product lines. Its customers span consumers, small businesses, and large enterprises across nearly every industry.

Microsoft has traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker MSFT since its 1986 initial public offering. The company employs more than 220,000 people globally and reported annual revenue exceeding $245 billion for fiscal year 2024. Satya Nadella has served as CEO since 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer.