Microsoft is the company identified by the stock ticker MSFT and headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. It became one of the world’s most valuable companies through software such as Windows and Office, later expanding into cloud computing, gaming, enterprise services, and professional networking.
The company’s Azure cloud platform became a major growth engine alongside subscription products such as Microsoft 365. Microsoft also owns Xbox and LinkedIn, giving it businesses beyond traditional personal-computer software.
MSFT is the ticker symbol for Microsoft’s common stock on the Nasdaq exchange. Ticker symbols are not the same as company names or product names: Windows is a Microsoft product, while MSFT identifies the publicly traded corporation in market listings.