Microsoft became the second company to reach a $2 trillion market capitalization, after Apple.
Microsoft crossed the $2 trillion threshold in June 2021 as investors valued its software, cloud-computing, and subscription businesses. Azure, Microsoft’s cloud platform, was a major part of the company’s expansion beyond traditional personal-computer software.
The company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its early success came from software for personal computers, including MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. It later built major businesses around Office, enterprise software, gaming, search, and cloud services.
Microsoft’s market capitalization is the value of its publicly traded shares, not the revenue generated by Azure alone. Because shares trade continuously, the exact ranking of Microsoft and other mega-cap companies can change from day to day.