Microsoft's Jubilee: The Best Products and Key Milestones of the Tech Giant Over 50 Years

Microsoft's Jubilee: The Best Products and Key Milestones of the Tech Giant Over 50 Years

On Friday, April 4, Microsoft celebrated its 50th anniversary. In the beginning, back in 1975, the company—founded in New Mexico—was composed solely of childhood friends and co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Over five decades, Microsoft has grown into a massive corporation employing more than 250,000 people worldwide and has released a multitude of products ranging from PC software to smart gadgets and gaming consoles.

The First PC Operating Systems

Microsoft quickly discovered its business model. Following the success of its first interpreter, Microsoft BASIC, in 1975, the company adapted it for PC manufacturers. As a result, Microsoft became the first company in the market to create core software for computers.

In 1980, the tech giant IBM signed a contract with Microsoft to supply an operating system for its personal computers. In 1981, IBM introduced a new computer equipped with the 16-bit operating system MS-DOS version 1.0. This marked Microsoft's entry into the operating systems market, where it quickly established itself as a leader.

In 1985, Bill Gates announced the first version of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface for the MS-DOS operating system. At the time, Microsoft positioned Windows as “unique software developed for advanced computer users.” Windows allowed users to run unrelated programs simultaneously and exchange data between them, laying the groundwork for modern operating systems and the use of PCs in the home.

IPO and the Release of Office

Microsoft went public in March 1986 on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York. At its initial public offering, the company's shares were priced at $21 each, and over the next 39 years, they grew to $382 per share.

In August 1989, Microsoft released the first version of the Office suite for Apple’s Macintosh computers. The suite consisted of three applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Subsequently, Office 2007 became a breakthrough version for the company, influencing more than ten subsequent versions of Office and Windows. Office 2007 also introduced the Office Open XML format, which is still used in cloud applications today.

Windows 95 and Internet Explorer

In 1995, Microsoft introduced one of the most significant operating systems in history—Windows 95. This release featured the Start button, taskbar, and notification area. Windows 95 laid the foundation for many elements of Windows still in use today, including the desktop, File Explorer, the “My Documents” folder, and the Recycle Bin.

Alongside Windows 95, the company also released the first version of its Internet browser, Internet Explorer. Within the first five weeks, 7 million copies of Windows 95 were sold. It became the world's most popular operating system. Microsoft spent $1 billion on a marketing campaign for Windows 95, including a commercial featuring the Rolling Stones' song "Start Me Up," which drew attention to the new Start button.

Xbox: Entering the Gaming Market

In November 2001, Microsoft released its wildly popular gaming console, the Xbox. For the tech giant, it was a gateway into the rapidly growing video game market, which at the time was dominated by companies such as Sony and Nintendo.

The second gaming console, Xbox 360, released in May 2005, helped Microsoft become a serious competitor in the console market. With customizable faceplates, removable hard drives in various sizes, and multiple models to choose from, the Xbox 360 became the best-selling console in the United States, turning games like Call of Duty 2, Gears of War, and Halo 3 into million-copy bestsellers.

Microsoft Azure

In October 2008, Microsoft introduced its cloud platform, Azure, marking the company’s first foray into the cloud computing market. Initially referred to under the codename “Project Red Dog,” it was officially launched later in 2010 as an online version of the Windows operating system.

It wasn't until 2014 that the cloud platform received its current name, Microsoft Azure. Since then, it has become Microsoft’s flagship service, offering more than 600 features in its catalog, including capabilities for working with artificial intelligence.

Microsoft Surface

The Surface tablet, released in 2012 for the Windows RT operating system, was Microsoft’s first foray into its own PCs. Initially, the Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets were introduced. From 2015 onward, additional models like the Surface Book and Surface Studio joined the lineup. The latter three devices in the Windows tablet range can run applications designed for PCs.

The most notable among them was the Surface Pro 3, which combined the functionality of a tablet and a laptop and was positioned as an alternative to traditional laptops. Microsoft’s success with its unique design had a significant influence on laptops and tablets released over the past decade.

Windows XP and Windows 10

In 2001, one of the most successful operating systems, Windows XP, was released. It was so popular that some ATMs still run on it. Microsoft updated the Windows XP interface by introducing a new blue-green theme called Luna.

In addition, other versions of Windows XP were released. For instance, there was a version for media centers designed for home theater PCs, a special edition for tablets, and an x64 version that ushered in the era of 64-bit computing.

The Windows 10 operating system was released in 2015. Many Windows users continue to rely on it. Although Microsoft may cease support for Windows 10 by the end of this year, many people are expected to continue using it for years to come.

Windows 10 marked a return to the traditional desktop interface after unsuccessful attempts by Microsoft to overhaul the user interface in Windows 8. The company also focused on integrating Cortana, Xbox features, and the Universal Windows Platform.

Today, Windows 10 is regarded as one of the best versions of Windows Microsoft has ever produced.

The Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

In 2023, Microsoft acquired the game developer Activision Blizzard for $69 billion. This deal became the most expensive in the tech industry. With this acquisition, Microsoft secured popular gaming franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Diablo, making it the third-largest player in the global gaming market after Tencent and Sony.

Partnership with OpenAI, the AI Assistant, and the Quantum Breakthrough

In 2019, Microsoft announced a partnership with the AI startup OpenAI. The corporation invested $1 billion in the startup and entered into an agreement to build supercomputers based on AI for Microsoft Azure. OpenAI migrated its services to Microsoft Azure, making Microsoft its preferred partner for AI development.

Thanks to this collaboration, OpenAI released the popular chatbot ChatGPT in 2022, sparking a boom in generative artificial intelligence around the world.

Microsoft did not stop there. In 2023, the company released an AI-powered assistant named Copilot, integrating its products and services. Its launch further solidified Microsoft’s position in the AI market.

In February 2025, Microsoft achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing. The company introduced its first quantum computing chip, Majorana 1, a project that took two decades to develop. According to its developers, the chip features topological superconductors that have the potential to revolutionize and significantly advance quantum computing.