microsoft overview

Microsoft is the Redmond, Washington technology company founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. It sells Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure cloud services, Xbox, LinkedIn, Surface devices, security software, developer tools, and Copilot-branded artificial intelligence across consumer and enterprise markets. Its modern shape is less a collection of famous products than a flywheel: Windows creates reach, Office creates habit, Azure creates infrastructure, and Copilot tries to turn all of that installed base into an AI distribution channel. This microsoft overview explains that a seemingly simple question now has three answers: it is a software company, a cloud utility, and increasingly an AI platform.