Microsoft was founded in 1975, decades before it became one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen established Microsoft on April 4, 1975. The company was originally created to develop and sell a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer produced by Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems.
Microsoft’s name combines “microcomputer” and “software.” Its early Altair BASIC success led to operating-system work, and the company later supplied MS-DOS for IBM-compatible personal computers. Windows, launched in 1985, eventually became its most recognizable consumer software platform.
The company’s later businesses expanded far beyond operating systems, including Office, Azure cloud computing, Xbox, enterprise software, and professional networking through LinkedIn. A frequent error is dating Microsoft to its 1986 stock-market debut; the company had already existed for 11 years by then.