Microsoft became the second company to reach a $3 trillion market capitalization. Its shares crossed that level in January 2024, after Apple had become the first company to do so earlier that month.
Microsoft’s market value reflects much more than Windows. The company’s businesses include Azure cloud computing, Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, Xbox, search, enterprise software, and its investment in artificial-intelligence technologies. Azure and recurring subscription products have become especially important to its modern growth story.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Windows became a major personal-computer operating system in the 1980s and 1990s, but the company later shifted toward cloud services and subscriptions. Market-cap milestones refer to equity value, not the company’s total assets or annual sales.