Microsoft crossed a $1 trillion market capitalization for the first time in April 2019.
Microsoft reached the milestone during trading on April 25, 2019. Investors valued the company’s combination of enterprise software, cloud computing, personal-computer products, and subscription services. Azure cloud growth and the continuing strength of products such as Office helped reshape Microsoft’s business beyond its traditional Windows focus.
The milestone followed a major strategic shift under chief executive Satya Nadella, who became CEO in 2014. Microsoft increasingly emphasized cloud services and recurring subscriptions rather than relying mainly on packaged software licenses. Market capitalization measures the value assigned to the company’s publicly traded equity and changes as the share price changes.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It became especially influential after supplying operating-system software for IBM-compatible personal computers, then expanded into enterprise technology, gaming, search, and cloud services.