Microsoft, an American multinational technology corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, was founded in 1975. It gained prominence with its Windows operating system, playing a significant role in the rise of personal computers. Over time, Microsoft has diversified into internet services, cloud computing, video gaming, and more. It is recognized as the world's largest software vendor, one of the most valuable publicly traded companies in the U.S., and a leading global brand.
In 1972, Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Traf-O-Data, a company that sold a rudimentary computer to track and analyze automobile traffic data.
In January 1975, the issue of Popular Electronics featured the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer, which inspired Allen to suggest that they could program a BASIC interpreter for the device.
In March 1975, Gates and Allen demonstrated a BASIC interpreter to MITS in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it worked flawlessly. MITS agreed to distribute it, marketing it as Altair BASIC.
On April 4, 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen established Microsoft, with Gates as CEO. Allen suggested the name "Micro-Soft", short for micro-computer software.
In 1975, Microsoft Corporation, an American multinational corporation and technology conglomerate, was founded and later became highly influential in the rise of personal computers.
Microsoft was founded in 1975, and by 2030, the company aims to remove all carbon it has emitted since its foundation.
In August 1977, Microsoft formed an agreement with ASCII Magazine in Japan, resulting in its first international office, ASCII Microsoft.
In January 1979, Microsoft moved its headquarters to Bellevue, Washington.
In November 1980, IBM awarded a contract to Microsoft to provide a version of the CP/M OS for the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC). Microsoft purchased a CP/M clone called 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products, which it branded as MS-DOS.
In 1980, Microsoft rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS.
In 1980, Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft as an employee of the company.
In August 1981, the IBM PC was released with MS-DOS, which IBM rebranded as IBM PC DOS. Microsoft retained ownership of MS-DOS, eventually becoming the leading PC operating systems vendor.
Microsoft has occupied its Mountain View, California, campus since 1981.
In 1983, Microsoft expanded into new markets with the release of the Microsoft Mouse and established a publishing division named Microsoft Press. Paul Allen also resigned from Microsoft in 1983 after developing Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Microsoft had original hardware commitments from Microsoft following its original Microsoft Mouse in 1983
On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released Windows 1.0 as a graphical extension for MS-DOS.
In 1985, Microsoft established Microsoft Canada as a subsidiary.
On February 26, 1986, Microsoft moved its headquarters from Bellevue to Redmond, Washington.
In 1986, InFocus Corporation adapted its logo, which was similar to Microsoft's "Pac-Man Logo" that was adopted a year later in 1987.
In 1986, Microsoft had its initial public offering (IPO), which led to a rise in its share price, creating three billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires among Microsoft employees.
In 1986, Microsoft launched its initial public offering (IPO) with an opening stock price of $21, closing the trading day at $27.75.
On February 26, 1987, Microsoft adopted the "Pac-Man Logo", designed by Scott Baker, with the concept being similar to InFocus Corporation logo that was adapted a year earlier in 1986.
On April 2, 1987, Microsoft released its version of OS/2 to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
In 1988, Microsoft began inducing many OEMs to execute anti-competitive 'per processor licenses.
The term "Velvet Sweatshop" originated in a 1989 Seattle Times article, and later became used to describe the company by some of Microsoft's own employees, referring to the perception that Microsoft provides nearly everything for its employees but overworks them.
In 1990, Microsoft introduced the Microsoft Office suite, which included applications like Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Also, Microsoft launched Windows 3.0 featuring streamlined user interface graphics and improved protected mode capability.
In 1990, the Federal Trade Commission examined Microsoft for possible collusion due to the partnership with IBM, marking the beginning of legal clashes with the government.
On July 21, 1993, Microsoft Windows NT was released, featuring a new modular kernel and the 32-bit Win32 application programming interface (API).
On July 15, 1994, Microsoft ended the anti-competitive 'per processor licenses', where OEMs paid Microsoft a royalty for each computer sold containing a particular microprocessor, whether the computer used a Microsoft operating system or not.
On July 27, 1994, the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division filed a competitive impact statement regarding Microsoft's anti-competitive 'per processor licenses' induced since 1988.
On May 26, 1995, following Bill Gates's internal "Internet Tidal Wave memo", Microsoft began redefining its offerings and expanding its product line into computer networking and the World Wide Web.
On August 24, 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, featuring pre-emptive multitasking, a completely new user interface, and 32-bit compatibility. It came bundled with MSN and Internet Explorer.
In October 1997, the Justice Department filed a motion in the Federal District Court, stating that Microsoft violated an agreement signed in 1994 by bundling Internet Explorer with Windows and asked the court to stop the bundling.
Since 1998, German employees have elected works councils.
In October 1999, Microsoft and other companies formed the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance to increase security and protect intellectual property, which was criticized for potentially restricting consumer software use.
In 1999, Microsoft's stock price peaked at around $119 ($60.928, adjusting for splits).
On January 13, 2000, Bill Gates handed over the CEO position to Steve Ballmer, becoming Chief Software Architect instead.
On April 3, 2000, a judgment was handed down in the case of United States v. Microsoft Corp., calling the company an "abusive monopoly."
According to Forbes Global 2000 Microsoft was the world's largest software maker by revenue in 2022.
In 2000, Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as CEO of Microsoft.
In early 2000, the stock price hit $50.04 a share, the highest since early 2000.
On July 19, 2013, Microsoft stocks suffered their biggest one-day percentage sell-off since the year 2000.
On October 25, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, unifying the mainstream and NT lines of OS under the NT codebase.
In 2001, then-CEO Steve Ballmer famously called Linux "cancer", in contrast to Microsoft joining the Linux Foundation in 2016.
In 2002, Microsoft started using the logo with the tagline "Your potential. Our passion." in the United States and eventually started a television campaign with the slogan, changed from the previous tagline of "Where do you want to go today?".
In 2002, The Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index rated Microsoft at 87%.
On January 16, 2003, Microsoft began offering a dividend, starting at eight cents per share for the fiscal year.
In 2003, research firms compared the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Windows Server 2003 to Linux.
In March 2004, the European Union brought antitrust legal action against Microsoft for abusing its dominance with the Windows OS, resulting in a judgment of €497 million and requiring Microsoft to produce new versions of Windows XP without Windows Media Player.
On February 27, 2008, the European Union imposed another fine of €899 million on Microsoft for its lack of compliance with the March 2004 judgment, regarding unreasonable pricing for key information about its workgroup and backoffice servers.
In April 2004, Microsoft launched Channel 9, a community site for developers and users, which features a wiki and an Internet forum.
In 2004, Microsoft commissioned research firms to compare the total cost of ownership (TCO) of Windows Server 2003 to Linux.
In 2004, Microsoft settled with the U.S. Department of Justice after being called an abusive monopoly in 2000.
In 2004, The Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index rated Microsoft at 87%.
In April 2005, Microsoft installed over 2,000 solar panels on its Silicon Valley campus buildings, generating about 15% of the total energy needed by the facilities.
In November 2005, Microsoft's second video game console, the Xbox 360, was released in two versions: a basic version for $299.99 and a deluxe version for $399.99.
In 2005, Bill Gates expressed his opposition to the cap on H-1B visas, claiming it makes it difficult for Microsoft to hire employees.
In 2005, Microsoft switched from yearly to quarterly dividends with eight cents a share per quarter and a special one-time payout of three dollars per share for the second quarter of the fiscal year.
In 2005, The Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index rated Microsoft at 100% after they allowed gender expression.
On March 3, 2006, Microsoft launched On10.net, a community site offering daily videocasts and other services.
In June 2006, Bill Gates announced his decision to retire from his role as Chief Software Architect, effective June 27, 2008.
In 2006, Microsoft released the Zune series of digital media players, a successor to its previous software platform Portable Media Center.
Since 2006, Microsoft's Online Services Division has been continuously loss-making.
In January 2007, Microsoft released Windows Vista, focused on features, security, and a redesigned user interface, and Microsoft Office 2007, featuring the "Ribbon" user interface.
According to leaks of said program, Microsoft joined the PRISM program in 2007.
As of 2007, Microsoft sold the best-selling wired keyboard (Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000), mouse (IntelliMouse), and desktop webcam (LifeCam) in the United States. Also, in 2007 the company launched the Surface "digital table", later renamed PixelSense.
In 2007, Microsoft acquired the advertising company aQuantive for $6.2 billion.
On February 27, 2008, the European Union imposed another fine of €899 million on Microsoft for its lack of compliance with the March 2004 judgment, regarding unreasonable pricing for key information about its workgroup and backoffice servers.
On June 27, 2008, Bill Gates retired from his role as Chief Software Architect, while retaining other positions related to the company and becoming an advisor on key projects.
On October 27, 2008, Microsoft launched Azure Services Platform for Windows, marking the company's entry into the cloud computing market.
In 2008, Microsoft based its logo with the tagline "Your potential. Our passion." on a slogan it used that year.
In 2008, Microsoft's main U.S. campus received a silver certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
In 2009, Microsoft had eliminated 5,800 jobs in line with the Great Recession of 2008–2017.
On February 12, 2009, Microsoft announced its intention to open a chain of Microsoft-branded retail stores.
On October 22, 2009, the first retail Microsoft Store opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Windows 7 was officially released to the public. Windows 7 focused on ease-of-use and performance enhancements.
As of 2015, company executives mention that Microsoft had been on the lookout for a flagship retail location since 2009.
In 2009, Microsoft had eliminated 5,800 jobs in line with the Great Recession of 2008–2017.
In 2009, the London Stock Exchange announced it was planning to drop its Microsoft solution and switch to a Linux-based one in 2010 after experiencing extended downtime and unreliability.
In February 2010, Microsoft opposed adding additional public transport and high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to State Route 520 due to concerns about construction delays.
As of July 2010, the company's nine stock splits, any IPO shares would be multiplied by 288.
In November 2010, Microsoft introduced the Kinect, a motion-sensing input device designed as a video game controller.
In 2010, London Stock Exchange switched to Linux-based solution.
In 2010, Microsoft revamped its mobile operating system, replacing Windows Mobile with the new Windows Phone OS.
In 2010, Microsoft unveiled the company's next tagline, "Be What's Next," during the private MGX conference. They also had a slogan/tagline "Making it all make sense."
In 2010, Microsoft's Online Services Division experienced a loss of $2.5 billion.
In 2010, The Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index rated Microsoft at 100%.
As of January 2011, Microsoft had no products that were completely free from PVC and BFRs, according to Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics.
In February 2011, Microsoft released a corporate bond amounting to $2.25 billion with relatively low borrowing rates.
On March 23, 2011, Microsoft became a founding member of the Open Networking Foundation, which supports a cloud computing initiative called Software-Defined Networking.
In June 2011, Microsoft unveiled Windows 8 in Taipei, an operating system designed for both personal and tablet computers.
In 2011, Greenpeace released a report evaluating the top ten big brands in cloud computing on their electricity sources, raising concerns about the environmental impact of data centers.
In 2011, Microsoft filed a patent application suggesting the potential use of the Kinect camera system to monitor television viewers' behavior for a more interactive viewing experience.
In 2011, Microsoft was ranked number 1 in the list of the World's Best Multinational Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute.
In 2011, under Steve Ballmer's leadership, Microsoft acquired Skype Technologies, marking the then-largest of Microsoft's corporate acquisitions.
On February 29, 2012, Microsoft released the consumer preview of Windows 8.
On July 20, 2012, Microsoft posted its first quarterly loss ever, with a net loss of $492 million due to a writedown related to the advertising company aQuantive, which had been acquired for $6.2 billion back in 2007.
In August 2012, the New York City Police Department partnered with Microsoft for the development of the Domain Awareness System, used for police surveillance.
On August 23, 2012, Microsoft's Pac-Man logo use ended after 25 years, 5 months, and 28 days, becoming the longest enduring logo used by the company.
On September 4, 2012, Microsoft released Windows Server 2012.
On October 26, 2012, Microsoft launched Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface.
In 2012, Microsoft increased its focus on hardware and introduced its first in-house PC line, the Surface.
In 2012, Microsoft launched the "Scroogled" advertising campaign, targeting Google and alleging biased search results and privacy violations.
In 2012, Microsoft's timeline for phasing out brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and phthalates in all products was set but its commitment to phasing out PVC was not clear.
On March 29, 2013, Microsoft launched a Patent Tracker.
Following media reports about PRISM, NSA's massive electronic surveillance program, in May 2013, Microsoft was identified as one of the participating technology companies.
In May 2013, the upgraded Kinect capabilities for the Xbox One were revealed, including an ultra-wide 1080p camera, infrared sensor for dark function, higher-end processing power, and the ability to distinguish fine movements.
In June 2013, Microsoft issued an official statement denying their participation in the PRISM program.
In June 2013, leaked NSA documents revealed that Microsoft was the first company to participate in the PRISM surveillance program. This program allows the government to secretly access data of non-US citizens hosted by American companies without a warrant. Microsoft has denied participation in such a program.
In July 2013, Microsoft announced a business reorganization into four new divisions: Operating Systems, Apps, Cloud, and Devices.
On July 19, 2013, Microsoft stocks experienced their largest one-day percentage sell-off since 2000, following a fourth-quarter report raising concerns about the poor performance of Windows 8 and the Surface tablet, resulting in a loss of over $32 billion.
On September 3, 2013, Microsoft agreed to buy Nokia's mobile unit for $7 billion.
In December 2013, Microsoft emphasized its commitment to customer privacy and data protection, viewing government snooping as an 'advanced persistent threat'.
In 2013, Microsoft agreed to purchase power generated by a wind project in Texas to power one of its data centers.
As of January 2014, Microsoft's market capitalization stood at $314B, making it the 8th-largest company in the world by market capitalization.
On February 4, 2014, Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft, and John W. Thompson became chairman, replacing Bill Gates.
On April 25, 2014, Microsoft acquired Nokia Devices and Services for $7.2 billion, renaming it Microsoft Mobile Oy.
As of June 5, 2014, Microsoft employed 127,104 people.
On July 1, 2014, Microsoft opened its first Transparency Center, providing participating governments the ability to review source code for key products.
In July 2014, Microsoft announced plans to lay off 18,000 employees, representing about a 14 percent reduction of its workforce.
On September 15, 2014, Microsoft acquired the video game development company Mojang, best known for Minecraft, for $2.5 billion.
In September 2014, Microsoft laid off 2,100 people, including 747 in the Seattle–Redmond area, as part of a second wave of previously announced layoffs.
In October 2014, Microsoft revealed that it was almost done with eliminating 18,000 employees, its largest-ever layoff sweep.
On November 14, 2014, Microsoft overtook ExxonMobil to become the second most-valuable company by market capitalization, behind only Apple Inc.
In 2014, Phil Spencer was appointed as the head of the Xbox brand, a position he held until the acquisition of Activision Blizzard when he became the CEO of Microsoft Gaming.
In 2014, Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, shifting the company's focus towards cloud computing.
In 2021, Microsoft was awarded the EPA's Green Power Leadership Award, citing the company's all-renewable energy use since 2014.
On January 21, 2015, Microsoft announced the release of their first Interactive whiteboard, Microsoft Surface Hub.
In July 2015, Microsoft announced another 7,800 job cuts in the next several months.
On July 29, 2015, Windows 10 was released.
On October 26, 2015, Microsoft opened its retail location on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The store opening coincided with the launch of the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4.
On November 12, 2015, Microsoft opened a second flagship store, located in Sydney's Pitt Street Mall.
In 2015, Jesse Jackson praised Microsoft for appointing two women to its board of directors, highlighting the company's efforts in diversity and inclusion.
In 2015, Microsoft Philanthropies was established to bring the benefits of technology to underserved populations, focusing on donating cloud resources, expanding broadband access, funding computer science education, and supporting child and refugee relief.
In 2015, Microsoft established its own parental leave policy to allow 12 weeks off for parental leave with an additional 8 weeks for the parent who gave birth and required subcontractors to provide 15 days of paid vacation and sick leave each year.
In 2015, Microsoft was the official jersey sponsor of Finland's national basketball team at EuroBasket 2015.
In 2015, Reuters reported that Microsoft Corp had earnings abroad of $76.4 billion which were untaxed by the Internal Revenue Service.
In 2015, the construction of a data center in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, led to the destruction of a historic African American cemetery.
In January 2016, Microsoft's share of the U.S. smartphone market was 2.7%.
On March 1, 2016, Microsoft announced the merger of its PC and Xbox divisions, focusing on Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps for gaming.
In April 2016, Microsoft sued the U.S. government over secrecy orders preventing the company from disclosing warrants to customers.
In May 2016, Microsoft announced another 1,850 job cuts mostly in its Nokia mobile phone division, resulting in a restructuring charge of approximately $950 million.
In May 2016, Microsoft announced laying off 1,850 workers and taking a $950 million impairment and restructuring charge.
In June 2016, Microsoft announced Microsoft Azure Information Protection, designed to help enterprises protect data moving between servers and devices.
In September 2016, Windows Server 2016, the server sibling of Windows 10, was released.
In November 2016, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation as a Platinum member, marking a significant shift in its relationship with open-source software.
In 2016, Microsoft began its sponsorship of the Renault F1 Team.
In 2016, Microsoft bought its 32-acre (13 ha) campus in Mountain View, California, with plans to renovate and expand it by 25%.
In 2016, under Satya Nadella's direction, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion.
On January 24, 2017, Microsoft showcased Intune for Education at the BETT 2017 conference in London. Intune for Education is a new cloud-based application and device management service for education.
On June 8, 2017, Microsoft acquired Hexadite, an Israeli security firm, for $100 million.
On October 23, 2017, Microsoft dropped its lawsuit against the U.S. government due to a policy change by the Department of Justice (DoJ) regarding data request rules.
In 2009, Microsoft had eliminated 5,800 jobs in line with the Great Recession of 2008–2017.
In 2017, Microsoft began its sponsorship of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT.
In 2017, Microsoft planned general availability for Intune for Education in the spring, priced at $30 per device, or through volume licensing agreements.
In 2017, Microsoft's Teams usage was at 2 million daily users
Since 2017, Microsoft South Korea recognizes its union.
In January 2018, Microsoft patched Windows 10 to address CPU issues related to Intel's Meltdown security breach, leading to issues with Azure virtual machines.
In February 2018, Microsoft ended notification support for Windows Phone devices, effectively ending firmware updates for the discontinued devices.
In March 2018, Microsoft recalled Windows 10 S, changing it to a mode for the Windows operating system rather than a separate OS, and established guidelines censoring profanity in private Office 365 documents.
In April 2018, Microsoft released the source code for Windows File Manager under the MIT License and announced Azure Sphere as its own derivative of the Linux operating system.
In May 2018, Microsoft partnered with 17 American intelligence agencies to develop cloud computing products under the "Azure Government" project, tied to the JEDI surveillance program.
On June 4, 2018, Microsoft officially announced the acquisition of GitHub for $7.5 billion.
On July 10, 2018, Microsoft revealed the Surface Go platform to the public.
In August 2018, Microsoft implemented a policy requiring all companies providing subcontractors to offer 12 weeks of paid parental leave to each employee.
In August 2018, Microsoft released two projects called Microsoft AccountGuard and Defending Democracy, and unveiled Snapdragon 850 compatibility for Windows 10 on the ARM architecture.
In August 2018, Toyota Tsusho partnered with Microsoft to create fish farming tools using the Microsoft Azure application suite, including Azure Machine Learning and Azure IoT Hub platforms.
In September 2018, Microsoft discontinued Skype Classic.
On October 10, 2018, Microsoft joined the Open Invention Network community, despite holding over 60,000 patents.
On October 26, 2018, the Microsoft acquisition of GitHub was finalized.
In November 2018, Microsoft agreed to supply 100,000 Microsoft HoloLens headsets to the United States military and introduced Azure Multi-Factor Authentication.
In November 2018, Microsoft won a $480 million military contract with the U.S. government to provide augmented reality (AR) headset technology to American soldiers.
In December 2018, Microsoft announced Project Mu, an open-source release of the UEFI core used in Surface and Hyper-V products, and discontinued the Microsoft Edge [Legacy] browser project in favor of the Chromium-based "New Edge" browser project.
In 2018, Microsoft became the most valuable publicly traded company in the world, a position it has since traded with Apple.
In February 2019, a group of Microsoft employees staged a protest against the company's involvement in war profiteering. The protest was in response to a $480 million contract to develop virtual reality headsets for the United States Army.
On February 20, 2019, Microsoft Corp announced plans to extend its AccountGuard cybersecurity service to 12 new European markets, including Germany, France, and Spain. The goal was to enhance security and protect customers in the political arena from hacking threats.
In April 2019, Microsoft achieved a trillion-dollar market capitalization, becoming the third U.S. public company to be valued at over $1 trillion.
Since 2019, Microsoft's practice of bundling Teams with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 has been under scrutiny, leading to allegations of unfair market advantage and limited interoperability with competing software.
In January 2020, Microsoft announced a strategy to become carbon negative by 2030 and to remove all carbon emitted since its founding in 1975.
On March 13, 2020, Bill Gates announced his departure from Microsoft's board of directors to focus on philanthropic endeavors. This event was described as a significant exit in the tech industry.
On March 26, 2020, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Affirmed Networks for approximately $1.35 billion, marking an expansion in its network solutions.
On July 22, 2020, Microsoft revealed its decision to discontinue its Mixer service. The company planned to transition existing partners to Facebook Gaming as part of the closure.
On August 3, 2020, Donald Trump commented that Microsoft had the option to acquire TikTok, but stipulated that the deal must be finalized by September 15, 2020, and that the United States Department of the Treasury should receive a portion of the transaction.
On August 5, 2020, Microsoft ceased its xCloud game streaming test for iOS devices due to Apple's stringent limitations on "remote desktop clients," which restricted applications to connecting only to user-owned devices.
September 15, 2020, was set as the deadline for Microsoft to complete the acquisition of TikTok, as stipulated by the Trump administration.
On September 21, 2020, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, for approximately $7.5 billion. The deal was anticipated to conclude in the second half of the 2021 fiscal year.
On September 22, 2020, Microsoft announced that it had secured an exclusive license to utilize OpenAI's GPT-3 artificial intelligence language generator, which had gained notoriety for its advanced capabilities and potential risks.
On October 9, 2020, Microsoft announced that it would permanently allow remote work.
On November 10, 2020, Microsoft launched the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S video game consoles, marking the next generation of its gaming hardware.
By 2023, Microsoft's Scope 3 emissions had increased by 31% from the company's 2020 baseline, causing the company's total emissions to rise by 29% despite spending more than $760 million through its Climate Innovation Fund by June 2024.
In 2020, Microsoft's sponsorship of the Renault F1 Team ended.
In 2020, Microsoft's sponsorship of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT ended.
In 2020, ProPublica reported that Microsoft diverted over $39 billion in U.S. profits to Puerto Rico, resulting in a tax rate of nearly 0%. The company then aggressively resisted IRS audits of these transactions.
In 2020, Salesforce, the manufacturer of the Slack platform, complained to European regulators about Microsoft due to the integration of the Teams service into Office 365.
In 2020, it was reported that an Irish subsidiary of Microsoft declared £220 billion in profits but paid no corporation tax, due to being tax resident in Bermuda. This subsidiary, 'Microsoft Round Island One', collects license fees from Microsoft software worldwide, leading to criticism from UK Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge.
In January 2021, Microsoft announced on Twitter that it would join the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, committing to carbon neutrality in Europe by 2030, and also disclosed an investment in Climeworks.
In February 2021, Microsoft launched Azure Quantum for public preview, which is a public cloud computing platform providing access to quantum software and hardware.
On March 9, 2021, the acquisition of ZeniMax Media was finalized, with ZeniMax Media becoming part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios division. The total cost of the deal was $8.1 billion.
In April 2021, Microsoft announced its plan to acquire Nuance Communications for approximately $16 billion, signaling a significant investment in speech recognition and AI technologies.
On June 24, 2021, Microsoft unveiled Windows 11 during a Livestream event, generating excitement and confusion following the previous announcement that Windows 10 would be the last version of the operating system.
In September 2021, Microsoft expanded its online education and video editing capabilities with the acquisitions of Takelessons, an online platform connecting students and tutors, and Clipchamp, an Australia-based video editing software company.
On October 5, 2021, Windows 11 was officially released to the general public, marking the widespread availability of the new operating system.
In October 2021, Microsoft announced that it began rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) support for Microsoft Teams calls to enhance the security of business communications during video conferencing.
During the 41 years from 1980 to 2021 Microsoft released 9 versions of MS-DOS with a median frequency of 2 years, and 13 versions of Windows with a median frequency of 3 years.
On January 13, 2022, it was reported that Microsoft's board of directors planned to hire an external law firm to review sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies, and to release a summary of how the company handled past allegations of misconduct against Bill Gates and other corporate executives.
On January 18, 2022, Microsoft revealed its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard, a prominent American video game developer and holding company, in an all-cash transaction valued at $68.7 billion. This acquisition aimed to bolster Microsoft's position in the metaverse and compete with companies like Meta Platforms.
In March 2022, Microsoft finalized its acquisition of Nuance Communications, solidifying its position in the AI and speech recognition market.
In June 2022, Microsoft published a report concluding that state-backed Russian hackers were engaged in "strategic espionage" against governments, think tanks, businesses and aid groups in 42 countries supporting Kyiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In December 2022, Microsoft revealed a new 10-year agreement with the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) for products including Microsoft Azure; Microsoft acquired around 4% of LSEG as part of the deal.
In 2022, Microsoft expanded its video gaming business by establishing the Microsoft Gaming division to support the Xbox brand.
In 2022, Microsoft shared a $9 billion contract from the United States Department of Defense for cloud computing with Amazon, Google, and Oracle.
In 2022, Microsoft was ranked No. 14 in the Fortune 500 and was the world's largest software maker by revenue, according to Forbes Global 2000.
In January 2023, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the company would be laying off approximately 10,000 employees, which came shortly after hosting a Sting concert for Microsoft executives in Davos, Switzerland.
On January 23, 2023, Microsoft announced a new multi-year, multi-billion dollar investment deal with ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
In June 2023, Microsoft introduced Azure Quantum Elements, a service that enables molecular simulations and calculations in computational chemistry and materials science using AI, high-performance computing, and quantum computing. It also features Copilot, a GPT-4 based tool, for data querying, code writing, simulation initiation, and researcher education.
In September 2023, Microsoft announced the purchase of $200 million in carbon credits from Heirloom Carbon to offset 315,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over 10 years.
On October 13, 2023, Microsoft finalized the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, solidifying its position in the gaming industry and expanding its portfolio of gaming studios.
At a developer conference in November 2023, Microsoft unveiled two new custom-designed computing chips: the Maia chip, designed to run large language models, and the Cobalt CPU, engineered to power general cloud services on Azure.
On November 20, 2023, Satya Nadella announced that Sam Altman, who had been ousted as CEO of OpenAI, and Greg Brockman, who had resigned as president, would join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team.
In December 2023, the Microsoft board of directors consisted of Satya Nadella, Reid Hoffman, Hugh Johnston, Teri List, Sandi Peterson, Penny Pritzker, Carlos Rodriguez, Charles Scharf, John W. Stanton, John W. Thompson, Emma Walmsley and Padmasree Warrior.
In 2023, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, further expanding its video gaming business.
In 2023, Microsoft consumed 24 TWh of electricity, surpassing the consumption of countries like Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, and Tunisia.
In 2023, Microsoft reported that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service was alleging that the company owed the U.S. $28.9 billion in past taxes, plus penalties related to mis-allocation of corporate profits over a decade.
In 2023, Microsoft's Teams usage had grown to 300 million daily users.
In 2023, negotiations between Microsoft and the European Commission reached an impasse, leading to an antitrust investigation regarding the integration of the Teams service into Office 365.
In January 2024, Microsoft disclosed that a Russian state-sponsored group hacked into its corporate systems, accessing a small percentage of email accounts.
In January 2024, Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees in its gaming division, primarily affecting Activision Blizzard employees.
In January 2024, Microsoft reached the milestone of becoming the most valued publicly traded company. Additionally, that month, the company introduced Copilot Pro, a subscription offering of artificial intelligence tailored for small businesses.
In March 2024, Inflection AI's cofounders Mustafa Suleyman and Karen Simonyan announced their departure from the company to start Microsoft AI, with Microsoft acquiring nearly all of Inflection's workforce. Microsoft paid Inflection $650 million to license its technology.
In April 2024, Microsoft made a substantial $1.5 billion investment in the Emirati AI firm G42, stipulating the use of Microsoft Azure platform for G42's AI development and deployment. Later that month, Microsoft announced plans to invest $1.7 billion in developing AI and cloud infrastructure in Indonesia, which included establishing data centers and partnerships to bolster digital transformation efforts.
In May 2024, Microsoft revealed plans to invest $3.3 billion in building an artificial intelligence hub in southeast Wisconsin, tripling its original proposal. President Joe Biden announced the initiative, which includes constructing a data center, creating 2,300 construction jobs by 2025, and 2,000 permanent jobs over time. Additionally, an AI co-innovation lab at UW-Milwaukee aims to train up to 1,000 individuals by 2030.
By June 2024, Microsoft had spent more than $760 million through its Climate Innovation Fund on sustainability projects, including purchases of carbon dioxide removal and renewable energy.
In June 2024, Microsoft Corp. faced a potential EU fine after regulators accused it of abusing market power by bundling its Teams video-conferencing app with its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 software. The European Commission issued a statement of objections, alleging Microsoft's practice since 2019 gave Teams an unfair market advantage and limited interoperability with competing software.
In June 2024, Microsoft announced plans to construct a "hyperscale data centre" in South East Leeds, signaling continued investment in infrastructure.
In June 2024, Microsoft announced that it would be laying off 1,000 employees from the company's mixed reality and Azure cloud computing divisions.
In July 2024, it was reported that Microsoft was laying off its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team, marking a significant shift in the company's approach to DEI initiatives.
On July 19, 2024, a widespread IT outage impacted Microsoft services globally, affecting businesses, airlines, and financial institutions. The outage stemmed from a flawed update to CrowdStrike's cybersecurity software, leading to Microsoft systems crashing and causing disruptions across various sectors. The underlying cause has been fixed but ongoing residual impacts are being experienced across some Microsoft 365 apps and services.
In September 2024, BlackRock and Microsoft unveiled a $30 billion fund, the Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership, designed to invest in AI infrastructure such as data centers and energy projects, with potential to reach $100 billion with debt financing. The investments will primarily focus on the U.S. and include partners like Abu Dhabi-backed MGX and Nvidia.
In October 2024, Microsoft fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at its Redmond headquarters to honor Palestinians killed in Gaza. The employees were part of the group "No Azure for Apartheid," protesting the company's involvement in the Israeli government's use of its technology.
In November 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an investigation into Microsoft, focusing on potential antitrust violations related to its cloud computing, AI, and cybersecurity businesses. The probe scrutinized Microsoft's bundling of cloud services with products like Office and security tools, as well as its AI investments.
Microsoft announced in November 2024 that it will relaunch its controversial tool, Recall, after addressing privacy concerns. Changes include making Recall an opt-in feature instead of being on by default and enhancing security measures.
As of 2024, Microsoft has the third-highest global brand valuation and holds a prime credit rating of AAA, making it one of only two U.S.-based companies with this distinction.
In early 2024, information about Microsoft's 10 largest shareholders became available.
On February 28, 2025, Microsoft announced that Skype would be shutting down on May 5, 2025, in order to focus on Microsoft Teams. The company also stated that there would be no job cuts due to the shutdown.
May 5, 2025, marks the date when Microsoft will shut down Skype in order to focus on Microsoft Teams.
By 2025, the Microsoft AI hub project in southeast Wisconsin is expected to create 2,300 construction jobs.
By 2030, the AI co-innovation lab at UW-Milwaukee aims to train up to 1,000 individuals as part of Microsoft's AI hub initiative in southeast Wisconsin.
In 2030, Microsoft aims to be carbon negative and to remove all carbon emitted since its founding in 1975.
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