Microsoft created the Windows operating system and became one of the world's most valuable public companies.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975. The company first became widely known for developing software for personal computers, including a BASIC interpreter and later the MS-DOS operating system supplied with IBM PCs.
Windows 1.0 debuted in 1985 as a graphical operating environment running on top of MS-DOS. Later versions, especially Windows 3.0, Windows 95, and Windows XP, helped establish Microsoft's dominant position in desktop computing.
Microsoft's business eventually broadened beyond operating systems. Office productivity software, Azure cloud computing, enterprise services, gaming through Xbox, and professional networking through LinkedIn became major parts of the company. Microsoft Corporation is not the same entity as IBM, which made the original IBM PC and licensed MS-DOS from Microsoft.