Microsoft – The World’s Biggest Computer Software Company
The world’s biggest computer software company makes a variety of products, from desktop office functionalities to cloud platforms. Microsoft also manufactures video games and computer hardware like keyboards and mice, and provides a range of online services. The firm is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and has offices in more than 60 countries.
The company was founded in 1975 by Harvard University classmates Bill Gates and Paul Allen. The pair had a mutual interest in computers and had started coding for the Altair 8800, a primitive early personal computer. The two developed a compiler for BASIC, an interpreter that ran on the Altair, and in 1975 they formed Microsoft to produce their product.
Microsoft’s meteoric rise began in 1980, when International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) asked the company to produce the essential software, or operating system, for its first personal computer. Microsoft purchased an existing operating system and modified it to create MS-DOS, which was released with the IBM PC in 1981. Most manufacturers licensed MS-DOS for use on their computers, generating vast revenues for the young company.
After dominating the operating system market in the 1980s and ’90s, Microsoft expanded its presence into productivity software by purchasing and developing a range of word processing and spreadsheet programs. It then broadened its offerings to include digital entertainment, with the release of the Encarta multimedia encyclopedia in 1993 and the Xbox gaming console in 2001.
In recent years, the company has moved into the cloud computing arena with the release of Azure in 2008 and the Surface family of tablet computers in 2012. The Surface devices, which bundle the Windows operating system with tablet hardware, have positioned the company as a serious competitor to established electronics companies such as Sony and Nintendo.
For business customers, Microsoft offers a variety of solutions that help to connect employees, optimize operations, and drive innovation. The firm’s Office 365 suite of cloud-based applications is one of the most widely used office suites in the world, while its cloud storage service, OneDrive, allows people to access files across all their devices.
Despite being a major player in the technology industry, Microsoft has faced criticism over its products and business practices. The company has been accused of forcing its employees to work excessive hours and refusing to provide medical insurance, among other allegations. It has also been criticized for employing “permatemp” employees who have no job security and are not entitled to benefits. The company has defended its actions, saying that the use of this type of employee is common in the technology industry and that it is necessary to enable the rapid development of new products. In addition, the company has promoted a diversity and inclusion initiative in an attempt to address these issues. This has included a program to help women in the tech industry find opportunities within the company.
