Microsoft is the company Bill Gates and Paul Allen co-founded in 1975.
The partnership began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after the pair adapted BASIC for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. Microsoft first became known for software rather than hardware, especially operating systems and programming languages.
Its major expansion came through MS-DOS, licensed to IBM for the original IBM PC, and later Windows. Microsoft also developed Office, Azure, Xbox, and professional software such as Visual Studio. These businesses helped transform it from a personal-computer software supplier into a diversified technology company.
A common mix-up is confusing Microsoft with IBM: IBM produced the original IBM PC, while Microsoft supplied its operating system. Microsoft’s stock-market value has placed it among the world’s most valuable publicly traded companies.