In short
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, initially to develop software for the newly released Altair 8800 computer. The company's early focus on programming languages and operating systems positioned it to become the dominant force in personal computing for the next four decades.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC) is a C++ object-oriented library for developing desktop applications for Windows.
As it was happening
13 voices, 7447 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
Microsoft founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen establish Microsoft in Albuquerque to develop software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Voices from this moment (6)
Early Microsoft promotional materials and Gates interviews, 1975-1976
Apr 4
“A computer on every desk and in every home - that's what…”
Synthesized from period accounts - early Microsoft oral histories
Apr 4
“What Gates and Allen saw was that the microprocessor…”
Synthesized from period accounts - Microsoft founding retrospectives
Apr 4
“We saw that personal computers were going to be huge, and…”
Synthesized from period accounts - 1975 industry commentary
Jun 15
“A company selling just software?”
2 more voices - captured but not shown in this slot.
As it was happening
13 voices, 7447 days.
Day 0 · April 4, 1975
Microsoft founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen establish Microsoft in Albuquerque to develop software for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
“A computer on every desk and in every home - that's what…”
- Early Microsoft promotional materials and Gates interviews, 1975-1976, Apr 4
“What Gates and Allen saw was that the microprocessor…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - early Microsoft oral histories, Apr 4
“We saw that personal computers were going to be huge, and…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Microsoft founding retrospectives, Apr 4
“A company selling just software?”
- Synthesized from period accounts - 1975 industry commentary, Jun 15
“These young guys showed up with an operating system for the…”
- Synthesized from period accounts - Albuquerque tech community recollections, Jun 1
“Bill Gates and Paul Allen establish Microsoft in…”
- Microsoft founded, Apr 4
Day 88 · July 1, 1975
Altair BASIC ships
Microsoft delivers its first commercial product, an implementation of the BASIC programming language for the Altair 8800.
“Microsoft delivers its first commercial product, an…”
- Altair BASIC ships, Jul 1
Day 2250 · June 1, 1981
IBM partnership announced
IBM selects Microsoft to provide the operating system for its personal computer, leading to MS-DOS.
“IBM selects Microsoft to provide the operating system for…”
- IBM partnership announced, Jun 1
Day 3152 · November 20, 1983
Microsoft Mouse released
Microsoft introduces its first hardware product, the mouse for IBM PCs.
“Microsoft introduces its first hardware product, the mouse…”
- Microsoft Mouse released, Nov 20
Day 3651 · April 2, 1985
Windows 1.0 launched
Microsoft releases Windows, a graphical user interface for MS-DOS, competing directly with Apple's Macintosh.
“Microsoft releases Windows, a graphical user interface for…”
- Windows 1.0 launched, Apr 2
Day 3996 · March 13, 1986
Microsoft IPO
Microsoft goes public at $21 per share, with Gates, Allen, and other early employees becoming millionaires.
“Microsoft goes public at $21 per share, with Gates, Allen,…”
- Microsoft IPO, Mar 13
Day 5527 · May 22, 1990
Windows 3.0 released
Windows 3.0 becomes the first commercially successful graphical interface for IBM PCs, driving mass adoption.
“Windows 3.”
- Windows 3.0 released, May 22
Day 7447 · August 24, 1995
Windows 95 ships
Windows 95 becomes a cultural phenomenon, with plug-and-play support and integrated internet connectivity reshaping the PC market.
“Windows 95 becomes a cultural phenomenon, with…”
- Windows 95 ships, Aug 24
The numbers.
3 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Initial employees
0
IPO year
0
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Microsoft Foundation Class Library
en.wikipedia.org