Microsoft owns the Azure cloud platform and introduced the Windows operating system in 1985.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its early commercial success came from software for personal computers, including a version of the BASIC programming language and later the MS-DOS operating system.
The first retail version of Windows, Windows 1.0, was released on November 20, 1985. It provided a graphical environment that ran on top of MS-DOS. Over time, Windows became one of the world's dominant desktop operating systems.
Microsoft launched Azure in 2010 as a cloud-computing service. Azure now provides computing, storage, databases, networking, and artificial-intelligence services. Microsoft also owns LinkedIn, Xbox, and GitHub. Its market capitalization reflects a broad business rather than only its traditional Windows software.