Microsoft owns the Windows operating system and Azure cloud platform and has ranked among the world’s top companies by market capitalization.
Microsoft’s market value is supported by several large businesses rather than one product. Windows remains a major computer operating system, while Microsoft 365, Azure, Xbox, LinkedIn, and enterprise software provide additional revenue streams.
The company was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Its breakthrough came when Microsoft supplied an operating system for IBM-compatible personal computers in the 1980s. That software business helped make Microsoft a dominant technology company before the company expanded into cloud computing.
Azure became especially important as businesses moved computing, storage, databases, and artificial-intelligence services to the cloud. Microsoft’s market capitalization changes with its share price, so rankings against Apple, Nvidia, and Saudi Aramco can shift from day to day. Market value is not the same as Microsoft’s annual revenue or book value.