Technology
Microsoft.
The software and technology company co-founded by Bill Gates, whose products connect personal computing, business software and cloud infrastructure.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Visit MicrosoftPEOPLE IN THIS STORY
Bill GatesEXPLORE THE FIELD
Technology
WHAT THE BUSINESS OFFERS
The work behind
the name.
Software
Operating systems and productivity applications.
Cloud services
Computing infrastructure and tools for organizations.
Developer tools
Software and services used to build other digital products.
01 / THE BUSINESS IN FOCUS
Software becomes a platform for other work.
Microsoft’s beginnings are tied to Bill Gates and Paul Allen’s work in software for the emerging personal computer industry. The company developed around programs that other people and businesses could use, making software a commercial product in its own right.
Its later scope spans Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure and developer tools. Those names represent different customer needs: using a device, collaborating at work, operating computing infrastructure or creating an application. Gates’s biography supplies the founding and personal context; the company’s development extends across many products, teams and later leadership eras.
THE REFERENCE DESK
Read the
underlying record.
Official sources accompany this portrait. Company descriptions record the business’s own account of its offering and development.
- microsoft.comMicrosoft: official website
- microsoft.comMicrosoft: company information
- news.microsoft.comMicrosoft: 50 years of company history
Brand image: Microsoft — image source.
Our editorial approachBEHIND THE BUSINESS