History of Microsoft
Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company’s initial focus was developing and selling software for personal computers, beginning with a version of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800. Microsoft’s early breakthrough came in 1980 when it contracted with IBM to supply an operating system for IBM’s first personal computer, resulting in MS-DOS and establishing Microsoft as a central player in the software industry.
In 1985, Microsoft launched Windows, a graphical interface built on top of MS-DOS, which made personal computing more accessible to a broader range of users. Over subsequent years, the company expanded into productivity software with the Office suite, database products, and server operating systems, becoming a dominant supplier to both consumers and enterprises.
The 2010s saw Microsoft shift its strategic focus toward cloud computing under CEO Satya Nadella, who took the role in 2014. The Azure cloud platform grew into one of Microsoft’s primary revenue drivers. The company also made significant acquisitions, including LinkedIn in 2016 and GitHub in 2018, and completed its purchase of Activision Blizzard in 2023.
Microsoft is a co-recipient, alongside Google, of Project Nimbus — a contract providing cloud computing and artificial intelligence services to the Israeli government and military. The deal drew sustained criticism from employee advocacy groups within the company. Workers staged protests and organised internal campaigns urging Microsoft to cancel or not renew the contract, arguing that AI and cloud infrastructure provided under the agreement could be used in military operations.