- Founded: April 4, 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- FY 2025 Revenue: $281.72 billion (14.93% year-over-year growth)
- Employees: 228,000 full-time (as of June 2024)
- Market Cap: $3.2 trillion (February 2026)
- Fortune 500 Rank: #14 (2024)
Microsoft Corporation is one of the world’s largest technology companies. The company develops software, cloud services, hardware devices, and gaming products. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft serves consumers and businesses in more than 190 countries.
The company operates through three main segments: Productivity and Business Processes, Intelligent Cloud, and More Personal Computing. Products include Windows operating systems, Microsoft 365 productivity suite, Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming consoles, and LinkedIn. Microsoft ranks among the most valuable public companies globally by market capitalization.
Microsoft Corporation History
Microsoft Corporation Co-founders
Microsoft Corporation Competitors
Microsoft competes across multiple technology sectors. In cloud computing, Microsoft Azure faces Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform. In productivity software, Microsoft 365 competes with Google Workspace.
| Company | Headquarters | Primary Competition Area |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | Cupertino, California | Operating Systems, Hardware |
| Amazon (AWS) | Seattle, Washington | Cloud Computing |
| Alphabet (Google) | Mountain View, California | Cloud, Productivity, Search |
| Oracle Corporation | Austin, Texas | Enterprise Software, Cloud |
| Salesforce | San Francisco, California | CRM, Cloud Applications |
| SAP SE | Walldorf, Germany | Enterprise Software, ERP |
| IBM | Armonk, New York | Cloud, Enterprise Solutions |
| Sony Interactive | Tokyo, Japan | Gaming Consoles |
| Adobe Inc. | San Jose, California | Creative Software |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose, California | Networking, Collaboration |
Microsoft Corporation Revenue
Microsoft generated $281.72 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, ending June 30. This marked a 14.93% increase from the prior year’s $245.12 billion.
Server Products and Cloud Services drive the largest portion of revenue. Azure and other cloud services continue growing at double-digit rates as businesses migrate to cloud infrastructure.
Microsoft Corporation Acquisitions
Microsoft has acquired over 225 companies since 1986. The company averages six acquisitions per year and has completed 14 deals exceeding $1 billion. These purchases expanded Microsoft’s presence in gaming, social networking, cloud computing, and enterprise software.
The largest acquisition in Microsoft history closed in October 2023. Microsoft paid $75.4 billion for Activision Blizzard, the video game publisher behind Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush. This deal made Microsoft the third-largest gaming company globally behind Tencent and Sony. The acquisition brought thousands of game developers and popular franchises under Microsoft’s gaming division.
In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion. This purchase gave Microsoft access to the world’s largest professional network with over 700 million members. LinkedIn operates as a separate entity while integrating with Microsoft 365 products.
Microsoft bought GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion. GitHub hosts the largest community of software developers and remains the industry standard for code collaboration. The acquisition strengthened Microsoft’s relationship with developers worldwide.
Nuance Communications joined Microsoft in 2021 for $19.7 billion. Nuance specializes in speech recognition and artificial intelligence for healthcare. This purchase expanded Microsoft’s presence in the healthcare technology market.
Earlier gaming acquisitions include Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, bringing Minecraft to Microsoft. ZeniMax Media, parent of Bethesda Softworks, joined in 2021 for $7.5 billion with franchises like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.
Microsoft Corporation Market Cap
Microsoft maintains a market capitalization of approximately $3.2 trillion as of February 2026. This ranks the company among the four most valuable publicly traded corporations globally.
FAQs
Who founded Microsoft Corporation?
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The founders created the company to develop software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
What is Microsoft’s largest acquisition?
Microsoft’s largest acquisition is Activision Blizzard, completed in October 2023 for $75.4 billion. This deal made Microsoft the third-largest gaming company worldwide.
Who is the current CEO of Microsoft?
Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft on February 4, 2014. He previously led Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise division before succeeding Steve Ballmer.
Where is Microsoft Corporation headquartered?
Microsoft Corporation is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company moved to this location from Bellevue, Washington in 1986 after its initial public offering.
What are Microsoft’s main products?
Microsoft’s main products include Windows operating systems, Microsoft 365 productivity suite, Azure cloud platform, Xbox gaming consoles, LinkedIn, and Surface hardware devices.