Microsoft, founded in 1975, briefly became the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization in 2021.
Microsoft overtook Apple in market capitalization during parts of October 2021, with investors responding to its cloud-computing growth and strong business-software position. The ranking was temporary and changed as the companies’ share prices moved.
Microsoft began with operating-system software for personal computers and later developed major businesses in productivity software, enterprise services, gaming, and cloud computing. Azure became a central growth engine. Market-capitalization rankings are not permanent league tables: they can change within a trading day, and a company may lead on an intraday basis while another leads at the close.