Microsoft was the world’s most valuable publicly traded company at the peak of the dot-com bubble in 1999.
Microsoft’s market capitalization rose dramatically as investors rewarded its dominance in personal-computer operating systems and productivity software. Its Windows operating system and Microsoft Office suite were central products in the rapidly expanding technology economy.
The company’s share price and valuation reached a historic high around the end of 1999, before the technology-stock bubble burst in 2000. Cisco briefly became the most valuable company during the bubble-era market frenzy, so exact date and ranking descriptions can differ depending on whether they refer to a closing value or an intraday value.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its later businesses expanded into cloud computing, gaming, enterprise software, and hardware.