Microsoft owns the Windows operating system and has repeatedly ranked among the two largest companies by market capitalization.
Microsoft developed Windows into one of the world’s most widely used desktop operating systems. Its business later expanded far beyond personal computers, adding Office productivity software, Azure cloud computing, enterprise services, gaming, and professional networking through LinkedIn.
Microsoft’s market value grew substantially as investors recognized the recurring revenue from software subscriptions and the scale of Azure. Its close competition with Apple and Alphabet has produced frequent changes in the order of the world’s most valuable public companies.
The company is sometimes identified only with Windows, but Windows is now one part of a much broader technology portfolio. Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise businesses are central to its modern valuation, while products such as Xbox and LinkedIn add further sources of revenue.