Microsoft operates LinkedIn, Azure, and the Windows software business.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975. The company became a major personal-computer software supplier through MS-DOS and Windows, then expanded into productivity software, enterprise services, gaming, search, and cloud computing.
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for approximately $26.2 billion. LinkedIn remains a professional-networking platform, while Azure provides cloud infrastructure and platform services for organizations worldwide.
Microsoft’s market capitalization has placed it among the world’s richest listed companies, often alongside Apple and Nvidia. A common mix-up is treating Azure as a separate public company: it is a Microsoft business, so its value is included in Microsoft’s overall market capitalization.