Microsoft operates the Azure cloud platform and is listed under the ticker MSFT.
Azure provides computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and artificial-intelligence services over the internet. Its growth helped transform Microsoft from a company centered on packaged personal-computer software into a major cloud and subscription business.
Microsoft’s market capitalization is the market value of its publicly traded shares. Investors often compare it with Apple, Nvidia, and Alphabet because all operate at enormous scale, although their main businesses differ substantially. Azure revenue is only one part of Microsoft’s results; Windows, Office, gaming, LinkedIn, and enterprise software also matter.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Its early success came from software for personal computers, especially MS-DOS and Windows. The company’s 2014 appointment of Satya Nadella as chief executive preceded a strong emphasis on cloud computing and recurring software services.