Microsoft became the second U.S. company to surpass a $1 trillion market capitalization during trading in April 2019.
Microsoft crossed the threshold on April 25, 2019, when its shares rose after the company reported strong results. Apple had been the first U.S. company to reach $1 trillion, and Amazon followed soon afterward. These rankings refer to the order in which companies passed a market-value threshold, not to permanent rankings.
Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft first became famous for personal-computer software, particularly MS-DOS and Windows. It later developed major businesses in enterprise software, cloud computing, gaming, search, and professional networking. Azure cloud services became a central part of its modern growth story.
The event is often confused with a closing-price record. Microsoft reached $1 trillion during trading on the cited date; intraday and end-of-day market capitalizations can differ because share prices move throughout the session.