Microsoft owns Azure and became the second U.S. company to exceed $3 trillion in market value.
Microsoft crossed the $3 trillion threshold during trading in January 2024, following Apple’s earlier milestone. The valuation was supported by strong demand for cloud computing, enterprise software, and artificial-intelligence products. Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform and competes with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.
Market capitalization is not the same as a company’s revenue, profit, or total assets. It represents the market value of all outstanding shares and moves whenever the share price changes. Microsoft’s value grew substantially after Satya Nadella became chief executive in 2014 and emphasized cloud services.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its major businesses now include Windows, Office, Azure, Xbox, LinkedIn, and professional software used by organizations worldwide.