Microsoft
Microsoft creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of customers. The company's mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.
At a Glance
- Individual consumers
- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
- Large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies
- Government agencies (including military and intelligence)
- +7 more
AI Tools by Microsoft
(8)
AI For Beginners
Microsoft Open Source AI Curriculum
BitNet
1-Bit LLM CPU Inference
Playwright MCP
A Model Context Protocol server that provides browser automation capabilities using Playwright's accessibility tree.
Semantic Kernel
Microsoft SDK for LLM Integration
VS Code Insiders
VS Code Insiders AI Features
VS Code
AI Code Editor with Copilot
IntelliSense for PowerShell (Experimental)
PowerShell Terminal IntelliSense
Azure AI services
Microsoft Azure AI Services
Discussions
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Latest News
Microsoft Warns of Domain Controller Restart Issues After April Update
Microsoft Changes Windows Update After 15 Years with New Patch Tuesday Policy
The Journey of Ternate's MSMEs to Level Up with the Help of AI
Microsoft SharePoint Server Zero-Day Exploited in the Wild
Products & Services
Family of operating systems including MS-DOS, Windows 3.0, 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11, 11 SE, Windows 365, and Windows for Enterprise
Productivity software suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Teams. Available as Microsoft 365 subscriptions with cloud features and various plans for personal, family, business, and enterprise users
Cloud computing platform offering IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions including compute, storage, networking, AI services, and more. Azure surpassed $75 billion in revenue for the first time in FY2025
AI-powered assistant integrated across Microsoft products including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Pro, Copilot for Finance, Copilot Labs, Copilot Vision, and Copilot+ PCs. Used by nearly 70% of the Fortune 500
Market Position
Microsoft is one of the Big Tech companies and the largest software company by revenue. In cloud computing, Azure holds approximately 20% of the global market (Q2 2025), ranking second behind AWS (~30%) and ahead of Google Cloud (~13%). Microsoft maintains strong competitive advantages through its integrated ecosystem of productivity, cloud, and AI services. The company holds one of only two AAA credit ratings among U.S. companies. Market positioning emphasizes AI integration across all products, enterprise security, hybrid cloud capabilities, and developer tools. Microsoft Cloud (Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365) represents over 50% of total revenue.
Leadership
Founders
Bill Gates
William Henry Gates III attended Lakeside School and later Harvard University (where he took Math 55 and graduate-level computer science courses before dropping out in 1975). Before founding Microsoft, he co-founded Lakeside Programmers Club, automated Lakeside School's class-scheduling system, served as a congressional page in the House of Representatives (1972), co-founded Traf-O-Data at age 17, and worked at Honeywell during summer 1974. He developed an intense interest in computer programming at Lakeside School and engaged in several early software ventures before leaving Harvard to capitalize on the emerging microcomputer revolution.
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen attended Lakeside School (1965-1971) and later Washington State University (member of Phi Kappa Theta fraternity) before dropping out after two years. He achieved a perfect SAT score of 1600. Before Microsoft, he co-founded the Lakeside Programming Club, co-founded Traf-O-Data with Bill Gates in 1972 to create traffic counters based on the Intel 8008 processor, and worked as a computer programmer for Honeywell in Boston. Born in Seattle to a librarian and a teacher, he developed a passion for computers at Lakeside School alongside Bill Gates.
Executive Team
Satya Nadella
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Formerly led Cloud and Enterprise division before becoming CEO in 2014; elected Chairman in 2021
Brad Smith
Vice Chair and President
Board of Directors
Founding Story
Childhood friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen first met at Lakeside School in Seattle and founded Traf-O-Data in 1972. In 1975, inspired by the Altair 8800 microcomputer featured in Popular Electronics, they developed a BASIC interpreter for the device. After a successful demonstration to MITS in Albuquerque, MITS agreed to distribute the software as Altair BASIC. Gates and Allen formed Microsoft on April 4, 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to market BASIC interpreters for microcomputers, with Allen suggesting the name 'Microsoft' as a portmanteau of micro-computer and software.
Business Model
Revenue Model
Technology conglomerate generating revenue through software licensing (Windows, Office), cloud-based subscriptions (SaaS/IaaS via Azure and Microsoft 365), hardware sales (Surface, Xbox), professional social networking (LinkedIn), gaming content and services (Xbox Game Pass), search advertising (Bing), and enterprise applications (Dynamics 365). Uses pay-as-you-go, subscription-based, and licensing models.
Pricing Tiers
For one person; use on up to 5 devices; 1 TB cloud storage; includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Defender, Copilot features
For 1-6 people; each person can use up to 5 devices; up to 6 TB cloud storage (1 TB per person); all Personal features
For 1-6 people; all Family features plus extensive usage limits for select Copilot features and exclusive Premium Copilot features
For frontline workers; web and mobile Office apps; 2 GB cloud storage; Teams; custom apps; enhanced security
Identity and access management; desktop/web/mobile Office apps; Teams; 1-5+ TB cloud storage per user; Windows for Enterprise; antivirus; endpoint management
All E3 features plus advanced identity/security, Teams Phone, Power BI Pro, XDR, email/collaboration security, ITDR, endpoint detection
Standard consumption-based tier for cloud resources; pay only for what you use
Reserve resources for 1 or 3 years for consistent usage
Flexible savings plan for select compute services
Target Markets
- Individual consumers
- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
- Large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies
- Government agencies (including military and intelligence)
- Educational institutions (K-8 classrooms, universities)
- Healthcare organizations
- Enterprise productivity and collaboration
- Cloud infrastructure and application hosting
- AI and machine learning development and deployment
- Software development and DevOps
- Business intelligence and analytics
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 use Microsoft 365 Copilot
- More than 85% of the Fortune 500 use Microsoft AI
- Disney
- Dow