Microsoft is identified by the Nasdaq ticker MSFT and was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
Gates and Allen established Microsoft in 1975 after developing and marketing a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. The company later became a major supplier of operating systems, productivity software, cloud services, and enterprise technology.
Microsoft's best-known products and services include Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure, Xbox, and LinkedIn. Its broad software and cloud businesses have helped make it one of the world's most valuable publicly traded companies by market capitalization.
MSFT is the company's stock-market symbol, not the name of a product. Microsoft's original name was Microsoft, formed from “microcomputer” and “software.” The company went public in 1986, and its shares trade on the Nasdaq stock market.