
Today the company develops, licenses, and supports software, services, devices, and solutions worldwide. Nadella took over the role of CEO in 2014 and then the role of chairman in 2021. Bill Gates gave up his role as CEO in 2000 and the company is now run by Satya Nadella. Other innovations that helped make the company’s name include Windows 95 which included many upgrades to the original and, when the Internet took off, Internet Explorer. Microsoft went public in 1986 making founder Bill Gates the world’s youngest billionaire.

Windows used a graphical interface to display information that included drop-down menus, scroll bars, and other features commonly found in operating systems today. The company’s first major breakthrough came in the early 80s when it licensed MS-DOS to IBM for their personal computer and then another came in 1985 the company altered the way computers were used when it launched Windows.

Microsoft launched a game called Flight Simulator in 1982 that has since become the longest-running video game franchise. The company quickly took off and was relocated to Washington State where it is headquartered today. Originally named Micro-Soft, Microsoft is a portmanteau of the words microprocessor and software. The two quit their respective Harvard schooling and programming jobs to start a software company focused on the then-popular Altair 8800. Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.


