History of Microsoft
1975
Revenue: $16,005
Employees: 3
February: Bill Gates and Paul Allen license first computer language program written for a personal computer.
November: Gates uses the name Micro-soft for the first time in a letter to Allen.
1976
November: Microsoft trade name registered with secretary of state in New Mexico.
1978
December: Year-end sales exceed $1 million.
1979
January: Microsoft moves to Bellevue, Wash., from Albuquerque.
1980
Revenue: $7.5 million
Employees: 40
June: Steve Ballmer hired from Procter & Gamble as assistant to the president.
1981
June: Microsoft reorganizes into privately held corporation with Gates as president and chairman and Allen as executive vice president.
August: MS-DOS introduced.
1982
June: Microsoft name becomes a registered trademark.
1983
February: Allen resigns as executive vice president, but remains on the board.
May: Company introduces the Microsoft mouse.
November: Company announces Microsoft Windows.
1985
Revenue: $140.4 million
Employees: 910
November: Marking its 10th anniversary, the company ships the first retail version of Microsoft Windows.
1986
February: Company moves into new headquarters in Redmond, Wash.
March: Stock goes public at $21 per share, rises to $28 at the end of the first trading day. Initial public offering raises $61 million.
1990
Revenue: $1.2 billion
Employees: 5,635
May: Microsoft announces Window 3.0.
July: Revenue exceeds $1 billion for the first time.
1993
May: Company formally launches Windows NT.
1995
Revenue: $5.9 billion
Employees: 17,801
August: Windows 95 released.
November: Gates’ book, The Road Ahead, goes on sale. Company announces release of Internet Explorer 2.0.
December: Gates outlines company’s plans to respond to the popularity of the Internet.
1996
June: Slate, an online magazine edited by Michael Kinsley, debuts.
July: MSNBC debuts.
1997
April: Microsoft acquires WebTV.
August: Apple and Microsoft announce broad product and technology agreements.
September: Internet Explorer 4.0 released.
October: Justice Department files a motion in U.S. District Court, alleging Microsoft violated a 1994 antitrust consent decree.
1998
June: Microsoft launches Windows 98.
July: Ballmer named president of Microsoft.
1999
October: Microsoft added to the Dow Jones industrial average, along with fellow technology giant Intel.
December: Microsoft releases the code for Windows 2000 to manufacturers.
2000
January: Gates steps down as chief executive, becoming chairman and chief software architect. Ballmer, at left, becomes CEO.
February: Microsoft releases Windows 2000.
March: Cisco surpasses Microsoft as the worlds most valuable company in market capitalization.
Monday: Judge issues ruling in governments antitrust case against Microsoft. *
Sources: Times staff and wire reports, company Web site
Researched by NONA YATES / Los Angeles Times
