Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation, is an American multinational computer technology corporation with 76,000 employees in 102 countries and global annual revenue of US $51.12 billion as of 2007. It develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices.
Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its best selling products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. These products have prominent positions in the desktop computer market, with market share estimates as high as 90% or more as of 2003 for Microsoft Office and 2006 for Microsoft Windows, in line with the company's original mission of "a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software".
Important Dates
- 1975 - Microsoft founded
- Jan. 1, 1979 - Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington
- June 25, 1981 - Microsoft incorporates
- Aug. 12, 1981 - IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0
- Feb. 26, 1986 - Microsoft moves to corporate campus in Redmond, Washington
- March 13, 1986 - Microsoft stock goes public
- Aug. 1, 1989 - Microsoft introduces earliest version of Office suite of productivity applications
- May 22, 1990 - Microsoft launches Windows 3.0
- Aug. 24, 1995 - Microsoft launches Windows 95
- Dec. 7, 1995 - Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet
- June 25, 1998 - Microsoft launches Windows 98
- Feb. 17, 2000 - Microsoft launches Windows 2000
- June 22, 2000 - Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer outline Microsoft's .NET strategy for Web services
- May 31, 2001 - Microsoft launches Office XP
- Oct. 25, 2001 - Microsoft launches Windows XP
- Jan. 15, 2002 - Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's commitment to Trustworthy Computing
- Nov. 7, 2002 - Microsoft and partners launch Tablet PC
- Jan. 16, 2003 - Microsoft declares annual dividend
- April 24, 2003 - Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003
- Oct. 21, 2003 - Microsoft launches Microsoft Office System
- July 20, 2004 - Microsoft announces plans to return up to $75 billion to shareholders in dividends and stock buybacks
- June 15, 2006 - Microsoft announces that Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company in July 2008, Ray Ozzie is named chief technology officer and Craig Mundie chief research and strategy officer
- July 20, 2006 - Microsoft announces a new $20 billion tender offer and authorizes an additional share-repurchase program of up to $20 billion over five years
- Jan. 30, 2007 - Microsoft launches Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System to consumers worldwide
- Feb. 27, 2008 - Microsoft launches Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008
- June 27, 2008 - Bill Gates transitions from his day-to-day role at Microsoft to spend more time on his work at The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Board of Directors
Steven A. BallmerChief Executive Officer, Microsoft Corporation
James I. Cash Jr., Ph.D.
Former James E. Robison Professor, Harvard Business School
Dina Dublon
Former Chief Financial Officer, JPMorgan Chase
William H. Gates III
Chairman, Microsoft Corporation
Raymond V. Gilmartin
Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merck & Co., Inc.
Reed Hastings
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Netflix, Inc.
David F. Marquardt
General Partner, August Capital
Charles H. Noski
Former Vice Chairman, AT&T Corporation
Dr. Helmut Panke
Former Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG
Jon A. Shirley
Former President and Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft Corporation
Bill Gates SquidWho Lens
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Bill Gates ?
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William (Bill) Henry Gates III, born on October 28th 1955 in Seattle, Washington. Son of William Henry Gates II and (the late) Mary Maxwell Gates, both prominent figures in Seattle. One of three children with an elder and a younger sister. Gates was...
Contact Information
Corporate AddressMicrosoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-7329
Tel: (425) 882-8080 Fax: (425) 706-7329
Microsoft U.S. Office Locations
Microsoft Canada Co.
Canadian Headquarters
1950 Meadowvale Blvd
Mississauga ON L5N 8L9
Telephone (877) 568-2495 Fax (905) 568-1527
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100 Best Companies to Work
2008 - Drops to #86. For additional information.
2007 - Coming in at #50 is Microsoft with 13% Job Growth Percentage, Company size - large, with 44,298 U.S. employees. For additional information.
2006 - Comes in at #42. New perks in 2006 included free grocery delivery, dry-cleaning service, and valet parking (it's a big campus!). Annual summer picnic drew 30,000 employees and family members to the Cascade Mountains.
From the Fortune 500 Magazine January 22, 2007 issue
Microsoft Corporation Links
- Microsoft Corporation
- Microsoft Corporation website.
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