Microsoft
- Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is an American
multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United
States that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of
products and services predominantly related to computing through its
various product divisions. Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC
interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home
computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by
the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems.
- Microsoft would also come to dominate the office
suite market with Microsoft Office. The company has diversified in recent
years into the video game industry with the Xbox and its successor, the
Xbox 360 as well as into the consumer electronics and digital services
market with Zune, MSN and the Windows Phone OS. The ensuing rise of stock
in the company's 1986 initial public offering (IPO) made an estimated
three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees
(Forbes 400 list revealed that in March 2011 both Jon Shipley and Nathan
Myhrvold lost their billionaire status). In May 2011, Microsoft
Corporation acquired Skype Communications for $8.5 billion.
- Primarily in the 1990s, critics[who?] contend Microsoft
used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies
including refusal to deal and tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the
use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both
the U.S. Department of Justice and European Commission found the company
in violation of antitrust laws.[citation needed] Known for its
interviewing process with obscure questions, various studies and ratings
were generally favorable to Microsoft's diversity within the company as
well as its overall environmental impact with the exception of the
electronics portion of the business.[citation needed]
- Microsoft Corporation The word "Microsoft"
in a black font (Helvetica), Microsoft's current corporate logo.
- Type Public
- Traded as NASDAQ:
MSFT
- SEHK: 4338
- Dow Jones Industrial Average Component
- NASDAQ-100 Component
- S&P 500 Component
- Industry Computer
software, Internet
- Founded Albuquerque,
New Mexico,
- United States
(April 4, 1975)
- Founder(s) Bill
Gates, Paul Allen
- Headquarters One
Microsoft Way,
- Redmond, Washington,
U.S.
- Area served Worldwide
- Key people Steve
Ballmer (CEO)
- Bill Gates (Chairman)
- Products See
products listing
- Services See
services listing
- Revenue increase
US$ 69.94 billion (2011)
- Operating income increase
US$ 27.16 billion (2011)
- Profit increase
US$ 23.15 billion (2011)
- Total assets increase
US$ 108.7 billion (2011)
- Total equity increase
US$ 57.08 billion (2011)
- Employees 92,000
(2011)
- Subsidiaries List
of Microsoft subsidiaries
- Website Microsoft.com