Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and became a leading software company by market capitalization.
Gates and Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in April 1975. The company’s first major product was a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.
Microsoft’s later growth came from operating systems, productivity software, developer tools, gaming, and cloud computing. Its MS-DOS agreement with IBM helped establish its software in the personal-computer market, while Windows and Office became widely used products.
Microsoft went public in 1986 and later built a major cloud business through Azure. Its market capitalization grew alongside recurring software revenue and cloud demand. Microsoft is sometimes confused with IBM because of their shared enterprise history, but Microsoft was founded by Gates and Allen, while IBM dates to 1911.