Microsoft – The Biggest Software Company in the World
microsoft is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company develops software, hardware, and cloud services. It also focuses on artificial intelligence and gaming. The company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Today, Microsoft is the largest software maker in the world. Its products include Windows operating systems, Office productivity suites, and Internet Explorer web browser. Microsoft also produces Xbox gaming consoles and related software, as well as Surface tablet computers. Microsoft’s success was fueled by the growth of the personal computer (PC) market in the 1980s and 1990s. The company initially gained dominance in the PC operating system (OS) market with MS-DOS, which ran on many early personal computers. In 1985, Microsoft introduced the Windows OS, which included a graphical user interface and effectively competed with Apple’s Macintosh. By the end of the 1990s, Windows had captured over 90 percent of the PC operating system market. The company further expanded its influence by creating the Office suite of productivity applications, which became a standard in offices and homes. In addition, the company entered the information services industry with the release of its multimedia encyclopedia Encarta. In 1995, Microsoft introduced the Internet Explorer web browser, which quickly overshadowed competitors such as Netscape Navigator and became one of the most popular tools for accessing the World Wide Web. In 2001, the company released the Xbox, an electronic gaming console that quickly captured second place in the game-console market behind the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation. The company then launched Xbox Live, a broadband gaming network for its consoles. In 2010, the company introduced a more powerful Xbox 360 model and expanded its online gaming offerings with Bing Search and Xbox Live Arcade games. More recently, the company has expanded into the mobile devices and online services markets. In 2012, the company released the Windows Phone operating system and the Surface Pro tablet computer. In 2016, the company acquired GitHub, an open source community, and expanded its cloud computing offerings with Azure. Since 2014, Satya Nadella has served as CEO of Microsoft. During his tenure, the company has focused on delivering innovative cloud and enterprise services through its Azure platform, while embracing a subscription-based business model for its consumer products. It has also stepped up its investment in research and development to maintain its position at the forefront of artificial intelligence and mixed reality. In addition, the company has moved towards sustainability and is working toward becoming carbon negative by 2030.