Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and became a global market-capitalization leader.
Gates and Allen established Microsoft in 1975 after developing a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. The company later supplied the MS-DOS operating system for IBM-compatible personal computers and built the Windows platform.
Microsoft’s business broadened from PC software into enterprise software, cloud computing, gaming, search, and productivity subscriptions. Products such as Microsoft 365 and the Azure cloud platform helped make recurring services central to the company’s financial model.
Microsoft and Apple are often compared because both became among the world’s most valuable public companies. Their origins differ: Microsoft began with software for early microcomputers, while Apple began by building personal computers.