Microsoft is born - Stories (2024)

Inspired by the January cover of Popular Electronics magazine, friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft – sometimes Micro-Soft, for microprocessors and software – to develop software for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.

In 1980, the pair struck a deal to provide the operating system for IBM’s first personal computer. Microsoft released Windows in 1985, a year before moving its headquarters to Redmond, Washington. By the late 1980s, Microsoft was the world’s largest personal-computer software company.

Microsoft is born - Stories (2024)

FAQs

What is the backstory of Microsoft? ›

In 1975 Bill Gates and Paul G. Allen, two boyhood friends from Seattle, converted BASIC, a popular mainframe computer programming language, for use on an early personal computer (PC), the Altair. Shortly afterward, Gates and Allen founded Microsoft, deriving the name from the words microcomputer and software.

What are 5 interesting facts about Microsoft? ›

10 Interesting Facts About Microsoft You Probably Didn't Know
  • Microsoft Was Originally Known by a Slightly Different Name. ...
  • The Original Microsoft Logo Was Created in Less Than a Day. ...
  • Windows OS Once Had a Very Different Name. ...
  • Microsoft Office Actually Debuted on the Mac. ...
  • Microsoft's Employees Are Nicknamed “Softies”
May 25, 2022

What is the startup story of Microsoft? ›

April 4, 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. U.S. Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by Windows.

What was the inspiration for Microsoft? ›

Inspired by the January cover of Popular Electronics magazine, friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft – sometimes Micro-Soft, for microprocessors and software – to develop software for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.

What was Microsoft guilty of? ›

On April 3, 2000, Jackson issued his conclusions of law, holding that Microsoft had engaged in monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. On June 7, 2000, the District Court ordered a breakup of Microsoft as its remedy.

Who was the brains behind Microsoft? ›

Paul Allen was an American investor and philanthropist. He is best known as the co-founder, with Bill Gates, of Microsoft Corporation, a developer of personal-computer software systems and applications.

What was Microsoft originally called? ›

Allen came up with the original name of Micro-Soft, a portmanteau of microcomputer and software. Hyphenated in its early incarnations, on November 26, 1976, the company was registered under that name with the Secretary of State of New Mexico.

Why did Bill Gates start Microsoft? ›

Bill, like many of us of his age, got hooked on software in High School. He and Paul Allen then got excited about the new Altair 8800 microcomputer and wrote a BASIC interpreter for it, which became the founding product for Microsoft.

How did Bill Gates start Microsoft? ›

They began by adapting BASIC, a popular programming language used on large computers, for use on microcomputers. With the success of this project, Gates left Harvard during his junior year and, with Allen, formed Microsoft.

Does Bill Gates still own Microsoft? ›

Institutional investors are the majority owners of Microsoft, accounting for almost 70% of outstanding shares. Former CEO Steve Ballmer owns a 4% stake in Microsoft, more than its founder Bill Gates, who holds a 1.3% stake. Vanguard and Blackrock are the two largest Microsoft's institutional investors.

Who owns Microsoft? ›

The ownership structure of Microsoft (MSFT) stock is a mix of institutional, retail and individual investors. Approximately 41.93% of the company's stock is owned by Institutional Investors, 7.73% is owned by Insiders and 50.35% is owned by Public Companies and Individual Investors.

What did Bill Gates invent? ›

What did Bill Gates invent? Technically, Bill Gates didn't invent anything genuinely new. Instead, he and Paul Allen created two high-quality products that computer companies could use: the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800 and the MS-DOS operating system for the IBM PC.

What is the motto of Microsoft? ›

The tagline of Microsoft is Be What's Next! Microsoft adopted this tagline in 2010 to show its ambitious approach toward next-generation technology and its forward-thinking attitude. Previously, the tagline of Microsoft was “Your potential.

Why is Microsoft so famous? ›

Microsoft became a dominant player in the technology industry, particularly in the market for personal computer operating systems, through a combination of strategic business decisions and aggressive competition. The company's success in this market eventually led to it being viewed as a monopoly by some.

Why did Microsoft become so successful? ›

Much of Microsoft's success can be attributed to its ability to adapt to the changing landscape. In the early days, Microsoft focused on software development and grew into a major player in this space.

What made Microsoft so successful? ›

This leads to some very key factors that point to Microsoft's continued success. These include innovation, strong leadership, a vision, trust in every employee, and resiliency.

What was Microsoft best known for? ›

Microsoft is the largest vendor of computer software in the world. It is also a leading provider of cloud computing services, video games, computer and gaming hardware, search and other online services. Microsoft's corporate headquarters is located in Redmond, Wash., and it has offices in more than 60 countries.

How old was Bill Gates when he started Microsoft? ›

Bill Gates on LinkedIn: When I was 20 years old, in the early Microsoft days, I wrote this letter…

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