What Is Microsoft?
About microsoft
Microsoft is one of the world’s most well-known technology companies, best known for its Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. It also makes a variety of other computer programs, as well as hardware such as the Xbox gaming console and Surface tablet computers.
The company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, two boyhood friends from Seattle, Washington. They began by converting BASIC, a mainframe computer programming language, to run on an early personal computer called the Altair. From there, they continued to refine their programming skills and created a variety of new computer products.
In the 1980s, Microsoft bought an existing operating system for IBM PCs and renamed it MS-DOS. By licensing MS-DOS to manufacturers of personal computers, the company grew exponentially in revenue and surpassed rival operating systems such as CP/M and IBM OS/2.
Then came the era of the Internet and cloud computing. In 2011 the company purchased Skype for 8.5 billion dollars, and then developed its own cloud storage and communication services. By 2015, Microsoft was offering a full range of cloud-based applications and software.
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Microsoft has made a wide variety of computer software over the years, and is most famous for its Windows operating system, the Microsoft Office software package, the Visual Studio IDE developer toolkit, the Azure cloud platform and many other product lines. It also publishes books through its Microsoft Press imprint, produces video games under its Xbox Game Studios label, and sells a variety of hardware products such as the Surface tablet and Xbox gaming consoles.
As an international business, Microsoft maintains subsidiaries in the countries where it is active to facilitate sales and marketing activities and to provide legal support and other services. These entities are not owned by the company, but act as an extension of its corporate structure. For example, the company’s European division is located in Luxembourg and is legally separate from the rest of its operations. Some of these subsidiaries have become profitable, while others have struggled. In addition, the company has received criticism for its use of permatemp employees (temporary workers who do not receive medical or retirement benefits) and its forced retention policies. Despite these problems, the company remains among the largest technology companies in the world. Its stock is a popular investment option for both individual and institutional investors.
