Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and became a major software company.
Gates and Allen started the company in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after developing a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 personal computer. The name Microsoft combines “microcomputer” and “software.”
Microsoft’s later growth was closely associated with MS-DOS and Windows, which became dominant operating systems for personal computers. The company also developed Office, a widely used productivity-software suite, and expanded into cloud computing through Azure.
Microsoft is often discussed among the world’s most valuable companies by market capitalization, but market value is not the same as total assets or yearly sales. Its stock-market value reflects investor expectations about future profits, including income from software, cloud services, gaming, and enterprise products.