Microsoft uses the ticker symbol MSFT and was co-founded by Bill Gates.
Microsoft was established in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The company initially developed and sold software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer before becoming a dominant force in personal-computer operating systems and productivity software.
Microsoft went public in 1986, and its shares trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange under MSFT. Over time, its major businesses expanded beyond Windows and Office to include Azure cloud computing, Xbox, LinkedIn, and enterprise security products. These diversified activities helped make Microsoft one of the world’s most valuable companies by market capitalization.
The ticker MSFT is sometimes confused with the names of Microsoft products, particularly Windows or Microsoft 365. Those are products and services; MSFT identifies the publicly traded parent company. Microsoft’s current corporate identity also differs from its original focus as a small software partnership.