Microsoft introduced the Windows operating system and became one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in 1985 as a graphical operating environment for MS-DOS. Later versions, especially Windows 3.0, Windows 95, and Windows XP, helped establish the company as a dominant personal-computer software provider.
The company’s market value expanded beyond Windows through Office, server software, Azure cloud computing, Xbox, LinkedIn, and enterprise subscriptions. Investors value a public company by multiplying its share price by its outstanding shares, so market capitalization can rise even when the company’s products and business lines remain diverse.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Its original name was Micro-Soft, and its early success came from supplying software for personal computers. Azure later became a major cloud-computing rival to Amazon Web Services.