In what year was Microsoft founded?

Microsoft was founded in 1975. Bill Gates and Paul Allen established the company on April 4, 1975, after developing a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.

The opportunity began with the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics, which featured the Altair 8800. Allen suggested that the pair create software for the machine, and Gates contacted its manufacturer, MITS. Their Altair BASIC demonstration succeeded, leading MITS to distribute the interpreter.

The company was originally called Micro-Soft, a name combining “microcomputer” and “software.” It was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where MITS was based, before Microsoft later moved its operations to the Seattle area. Gates served as the company's first chief executive, while Allen played a key role in its early technical development.

Microsoft's founding year is sometimes confused with later milestones: MS-DOS became central to its growth in 1981, Windows launched in 1985, and the company went public in 1986. None of those dates is the founding date.