Microsoft created Windows, Microsoft 365, and the Azure cloud platform and trades under MSFT.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975 to develop software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. Its early success came from licensing a version of the BASIC programming language and later supplying MS-DOS for IBM-compatible personal computers.
Windows became Microsoft’s best-known product after its 1985 release, while Office software expanded the company’s role in business computing. Microsoft also owns major products and services including Xbox, LinkedIn, GitHub, and the Bing search engine.
Azure is a major cloud-computing business and competes with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. Market capitalization measures the value of a company’s publicly traded shares, so it can change daily with the stock price. That figure is different from revenue, profit, or total assets.