Microsoft’s 1986 initial public offering helped make it one of the world’s most valuable technology companies.
Microsoft went public on March 13, 1986, at an offering price of $21 per share. The company had been founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, initially developing software for the Altair 8800 personal computer.
Its market value grew as MS-DOS and Windows became dominant operating systems for personal computers. Microsoft later expanded into productivity software, enterprise services, gaming through Xbox, cloud computing through Azure, and professional networking through LinkedIn.
The IPO itself did not make Microsoft the world’s richest company immediately; its extraordinary long-term market capitalization growth came from recurring software sales, enterprise contracts, and cloud services. Stock splits also changed the quoted per-share price over time, while market capitalization reflected the total value of all shares.