Microsoft became the first company to close above a $3 trillion market capitalization after Apple on January 24, 2024.
Microsoft’s share price rose as investors assessed the company’s position in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Its partnership with OpenAI and the integration of AI features across products such as Azure, Microsoft 365, and Windows strengthened expectations for future growth.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. It first became famous for operating-system software, especially MS-DOS and Windows, before expanding into enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, gaming, search, and hardware.
The company had previously joined the $1 trillion group in 2019 and passed $2 trillion in 2021. Market capitalization is not fixed: Microsoft can move above or below a threshold as its stock price changes, even when the company’s underlying operations have not changed that day.