Investing Opinion Of Microsoft Corporation

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Investing Opinion of Microsoft Corporation
Background
Microsoft Corporation started with two close friends who were total computer enthusiasts named Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Despite difficulties accessing computers and other sophisticated technology, they were both computer geeks. In 1970, Gates and Allen started a small firm that specialized in creating small applications for local clients. This company, Traf-O-Data, sold computers to the city of Seattle for counting city traffic. In 1973, Bill Gates left Seattle to study at Harvard University; however, he ultimately dropped out to concentrate on his project with Allen. In 1975, Altair, at the time a famous software company, employed Bill Gates and Paul Allen to write a version of the…show more content…
Microsoft stock went public in 1986 at $21 per share. In 1991, Jon Shirley retired and was replaced by Michael R. Hallman; Microsoft became the first PC software firm to generate more than $1 billion sales in one year. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice claimed that Microsoft had violated the Sherman Act and in 2000 Microsoft had to face two antitrust cases.
During 2000, Microsoft also acquired Visio Corporation, which was its largest acquisition at the time. In the same year, Steve Ballmer was chosen as the new president and CEO for the company. In 2001, Microsoft launched its very famous “Office XP, “Windows XP” and “Xbox” products. Two years later, Microsoft introduced Microsoft Office System. In 2004, Microsoft planned to return as much as $75 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and stock buybacks. In 2009, Microsoft launched Bing decision engine. Microsoft officially acquired Skype in 2011. In 2013, Steve Ballmer announced his plan for retirement, which resulted in Satya Nadella becoming the new CEO in 2014.
Today, Microsoft owns more than 15 trademarks including as Bing, Xbox, Direct X, Microsoft Office, Skype, and Nokia. Microsoft makes more than $32 billion annually, making it the largest software company in the world. Mostly recently, its revenue for 2014 was $86,83 billion.
Their home office is located at One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-7329 USA. Satya Nadella is Microsoft’s chief executive officer and John W. Thompson
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