Microsoft’s 1986 initial public offering helped create one of the world’s largest technology companies by market capitalization.
Microsoft went public on March 13, 1986. Its shares were offered at US$21 each, and the company’s success with software helped create substantial long-term value for shareholders.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Its early growth was closely linked to MS-DOS and the Windows operating system, while later expansion included Office, Azure cloud services, Xbox, and enterprise software.
A company’s initial public offering is the event when shares are first sold to public investors. It is not the same as the later market-cap ranking of the business. Microsoft’s valuation has changed across decades as software moved from packaged products toward subscriptions and cloud computing.