Microsoft created the Windows operating system and is one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1975. The company first became widely known for developing software for personal computers, especially its version of the BASIC programming language. Its agreement to provide an operating system for IBM-compatible PCs helped make Microsoft a dominant force in desktop computing.
Windows remains one of Microsoft’s best-known products, but the company now operates across many businesses. These include Azure cloud computing, Microsoft 365, Xbox, LinkedIn, GitHub, and enterprise software. Microsoft’s market value is influenced by expectations about these recurring software and cloud revenues, not only by Windows sales.
A common mix-up is confusing Microsoft with Apple, which makes hardware such as the iPhone and Mac. Microsoft does make devices, including Surface computers and Xbox consoles, but its historical identity is rooted in software and business services. Its shares trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol MSFT.