Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975, transforming a childhood friendship into a business built on computer programming skills.
The Altair Breakthrough and Early Ventures
The path to the global giant began with Traf-O-Data in 1972, an early venture designed to analyze automobile traffic data. By 1975, the focus shifted to the MITS Altair 8800 microcomputer. For this machine, the pair developed a BASIC interpreter marketed as Altair BASIC.
Expanding the Global Footprint
Microsoft scaled rapidly. In August 1977, the company established its first international office, ASCII Microsoft, through an agreement with ASCII Magazine in Japan.
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The corporate center of gravity also shifted. The headquarters moved to Bellevue, Washington, in January 1979, before relocating again to Redmond, Washington, on February 26, 1986.
The Shift to Graphical Interfaces
A defining moment arrived on November 20, 1985. Microsoft released Windows 1.0, launching it as a graphical extension for MS-DOS.
Modern Ecosystems and Hardware
Today, the company’s portfolio spans AI-driven guidance, cloud storage, and productivity tools, including Microsoft 365, Azure, Copilot, and Teams. This software dominance is paired with a hardware suite that includes XBOX gaming consoles and the Surface line, specifically the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop.
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