Microsoft owns the Azure cloud-computing platform, a major driver of its market value.
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud-computing service, providing computing power, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and artificial-intelligence tools. It competes with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud and has become a central part of Microsoft’s enterprise business.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its early success came from software such as MS-DOS and Windows, while later growth expanded through Office, gaming, cloud services, and enterprise products. These recurring business lines helped make Microsoft one of the world’s highest-market-cap companies.
Azure is not a separate publicly traded company. It is a business segment within Microsoft, so Microsoft’s overall market capitalization reflects investors’ views of Azure alongside Windows, Office, gaming, hardware, and other operations.