A visual history of Microsoft, from its founding and partnership with IBM through Windows, Office, Xbox, Azure, and its transformation into a cloud-first technology company.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen begin Microsoft after developing Altair BASIC for MITS.
The company relocates from Albuquerque to Bellevue, Washington.
Microsoft reaches an agreement to provide an operating system for IBM's personal computer.
Microsoft incorporates; IBM introduces its PC using Microsoft's 16-bit operating system.
Microsoft releases its first Windows graphical environment for MS-DOS.
Microsoft's stock begins trading publicly and the company moves to its Redmond campus.
Office launches first for Macintosh, creating a major productivity-software suite.
Windows 3.0 expands Microsoft's graphical operating-system reach and includes Solitaire.
Windows 95 introduces the Start menu and becomes a major consumer software release.
Microsoft releases Windows 98 with broader consumer hardware and Internet integration.
Windows 2000 brings the Windows NT line to business desktops and servers.
Microsoft releases Windows XP and launches the original Xbox in the same year.
Microsoft releases Xbox 360, expanding its console and online-gaming business.
Microsoft continues the commercial expansion of Windows Azure, its cloud-computing service.
Microsoft introduces Office 365 as a subscription-based productivity service.
Microsoft releases Windows 8 and introduces Surface hardware.
Nadella succeeds Steve Ballmer and emphasizes cloud services and cross-platform development.
Microsoft announces and completes its acquisition of LinkedIn.
Microsoft completes its acquisition of GitHub, a major software-development platform.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 as the successor to Windows 10.
Microsoft introduces Copilot across Microsoft 365 as part of its generative-AI push.
Microsoft publishes a 50-year retrospective covering software, gaming, cloud, and AI milestones.