Microsoft owns Azure and became the second company to reach a $3 trillion market capitalization after Apple.
Azure is Microsoft’s cloud-computing platform, offering computing, storage, databases, networking, analytics, and artificial-intelligence services. It is a major part of Microsoft’s broader business alongside Windows, Office, gaming, enterprise software, and professional networking through LinkedIn.
Microsoft reached a $3 trillion market capitalization during intraday trading in January 2024. The milestone followed a long transformation from a personal-computer software company into a diversified technology business with substantial cloud and subscription revenue.
Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Its early success came from software for personal computers, while products such as Windows and Office later became central to its global position. Azure is often compared with Amazon Web Services, but the two platforms belong to different companies.