Microsoft Corporation is an American technology company that offers a wide range of products and services. The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. The company is based in Redmond, Washington, United States. Microsoft trades on the Nasdaq exchange under the MSFT ticker. The company first went public on March 13, 1986.
Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services. Microsoft’s most popular products include the Microsoft Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office Suite, Internet Explorer, Edge web browser, and the Azure cloud services.
Microsoft’s hardware consists of the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface range of touchscreen personal computers. Microsoft also designs and sells tablets, personal computers, phones, intelligent devices, and related accessories. LinkedIn is the company’s social network branch that is used to make career connections. The company has operations globally.
Microsoft’s main competitors
- IBM
- Oracle
- Apple
- SAP
Microsoft key milestones
On April 25, 2019, Microsoft became the third United States company to hit the $1 trillion valuations. The company joined other big tech rivals Apple and Amazon. Microsofts’ Azure cloud software significantly accelerated the valuation. Microsoft achieved this unique milestone after its shares rose more than 5 percent.
In March 2020, Microsoft’s founder, Bill Gates quit the company’s board to focus on his philanthropic work, health, and combating climate change. Before the exit, Gates stepped back from his day-to-day roles at Microsoft in 2008.
On November 14, 2014, Microsoft became the most valuable company by market capitalization after overtaking ExxonMobil. At that time, Microsoft’s total market capitalization was $410 billion.
In November 2018, Microsoft was awarded a $480 million military contract with the US government to bring augmented reality headset technology into American soldiers’ weapon repertoires. The US army wanted to leverage Microsoft’s augmented reality technology’s ability to enable 25 bloodless battles before the first one. With the two-year contract, Microsoft would have follow-up orders of over 100,000 headsets.
In June 2016, Microsoft acquired a career connection platform, LinkedIn, at $26.2 billion. The acquisition is Microsoft’s largest in history at the time of wir.
Microsoft Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Microsoft successful?
Microsoft’s longevity can be attributed to its success. The company is known to be resilient and adapt to changing technologies, market demands, and business opportunities.
Why did Apple Sue Microsoft?
In 1985, Apple sued Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement after releasing a competing GUI-based operating system, Windows. According to Apple, Microsoft’s new system had the feel and touch of the Mac OS.
How often does Microsoft pay dividends?
Microsoft pays a quarterly dividend to shareholders.
