Microsoft

What Microsoft does

Microsoft is a publicly traded, mega-cap technology corporation founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, headquartered in Redmond, Washington (NASDAQ: MSFT). It develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports an integrated portfolio spanning cloud computing (Azure), productivity software (Microsoft 365), AI-powered assistants (Copilot), business applications (Dynamics 365), low-code development (Power Platform), security (Defender, Sentinel, Purview), gaming (Xbox consoles, Game Pass, Activision Blizzard content), consumer hardware (Surface), and developer platforms (GitHub, Visual Studio). The company's technology backbone includes a global datacenter network, the Azure cloud platform, and proprietary AI infrastructure spanning on-device Windows ML to large-scale Azure AI services.

The company serves enterprise, government, SMB, education, healthcare, and consumer/prosumer segments through a multi-channel model: direct enterprise field sales backed by enterprise agreements, a global partner ecosystem of Cloud Solution Providers, system integrators, and ISVs, OEM licensing to PC manufacturers, the Microsoft Store (online and physical), third-party retailers (Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon), and the Azure Marketplace. Microsoft 365 alone serves 450M+ commercial users, LinkedIn has 950M+ members, Windows 11 has 1 billion users, and GitHub hosts 100M+ developers. Revenue is generated through subscription (Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Game Pass, LinkedIn, GitHub Enterprise, Security), usage-based (Azure), one-time licenses (Windows/Office), and hardware sales (Surface, Xbox).

In Q2 FY2026, Microsoft reported $82.9 billion in quarterly revenue (+18% YoY) with full-year revenues exceeding $240 billion; Azure grew 40% YoY and the AI business reached a $37 billion annual run rate at 123% growth. The company is investing approximately $190 billion in FY2026 capex — up >60% YoY — for AI datacenter expansion toward 10 gigawatts of capacity. Strategic priorities include deepening the Copilot AI platform across the product stack, pivoting Xbox from a proprietary console model to a platform licensing model with Samsung/ASUS/Lenovo, and expanding sovereign cloud and sustainability commitments (carbon negative, water positive, $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund).

Name

Microsoft

Legal name

Microsoft Corporation

Website

https://microsoft.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a mega-cap technology corporation that develops and sells cloud computing (Azure), productivity software (Microsoft 365), AI assistants (Copilot), business applications, gaming (Xbox), developer platforms (GitHub), and consumer hardware (Surface) to enterprise, government, SMB, and consumer customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Computing & Productivity Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Document Creation & Office Suites (BPAMAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cloud Data Warehouses (HDAEABAA), Cloud & Infrastructure Support (Servers, Storage, Virtualization) (BPAAACAE), Cloud Gaming Platforms (BPAMAKAC)

Keywords

• Cloud computing services
• Productivity software
• Enterprise business applications
• Gaming and consoles
• AI development platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Redmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Cloud Computing (Azure + AI Services): Microsoft's Azure platform generates revenue from compute, storage, AI, and developer services consumed on a pay-as-you-go basis, along with premium enterprise agreements and reserved capacity contracts. Azure is the second-largest cloud provider globally and a major growth driver.
2. Microsoft 365 and Productivity Software: SaaS subscription revenue from Microsoft 365 plans covering Office applications, Teams, OneDrive, Outlook, and Copilot AI. Plans are sold per-seat on monthly or annual subscriptions to consumer, business, and enterprise customers.
3. Xbox Gaming (Hardware + Game Pass): Revenue from Xbox Series X and Series S console hardware sales (typically sold near or below cost) combined with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscription services providing access to hundreds of games, day-one first-party titles, and cloud gaming.
4. Surface Devices (Consumer Hardware): Revenue from Surface Pro tablets, Surface Laptop notebooks, and accessories sold directly to consumers and businesses through Microsoft Store and retail channels.
5. Dynamics 365 (ERP + CRM): Cloud-based business applications sold as per-seat subscriptions covering ERP, CRM, supply chain, finance, and operations modules for enterprise customers.
6. LinkedIn: Revenue from LinkedIn's talent solutions (recruiting), premium subscriptions, marketing solutions, and educational content. LinkedIn has over 950 million members globally.
7. Windows Licensing (OEM + Commercial): Revenue from OEM Windows licenses pre-installed on PCs and commercial Windows licenses through volume agreements with enterprise customers.
8. GitHub Enterprise: Revenue from GitHub Enterprise cloud and server products sold on a per-seat subscription basis to enterprise development teams.
9. Microsoft Security Products: Revenue from Microsoft's comprehensive security portfolio including Microsoft Defender, Sentinel, and Purview sold as per-seat or consumption-based subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, and sells software products and services spanning cloud computing (Azure), productivity software (Microsoft 365 with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and Copilot AI), business applications (Dynamics 365, Power Platform), gaming (Xbox consoles and Game Pass), enterprise security (Defender, Sentinel, Purview), consumer hardware (Surface devices), the Windows operating system, the GitHub developer platform, and the LinkedIn professional network.

Product overview

Microsoft operates as a comprehensive technology platform company offering integrated products across consumer and enterprise segments. The core portfolio centers on Microsoft 365 (productivity suite with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Copilot AI), Azure (cloud computing and AI platform), Windows 11 (desktop OS with integrated AI), and Surface devices (hardware). The gaming ecosystem includes Xbox Series consoles and Game Pass subscription. Enterprise solutions span Dynamics 365 (business applications), Power Platform (low-code tools), Microsoft Viva (employee experience), and Microsoft Security. Microsoft Research contributes specialized AI tools including Talos for genomic analysis, Project Ire for cybersecurity, and Data Formulator for data analytics. The AI for Good Lab drives sustainability applications using computer vision and optimization for environmental monitoring. Recent strategic initiatives include licensing Xbox platform to third-party manufacturers and aggressive AI infrastructure investment approaching $190 billion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Microsoft 365: Cloud-based productivity suite including Office apps, Teams, OneDrive, and Copilot AI
• Azure
• Copilot
• Dynamics 365
• Microsoft Teams
• Visual Studio
• GitHub
• LinkedIn
• Surface
• Climate Innovation Fund
• AI for Good Lab

Products and services

• Microsoft 365 Cloud-based productivity and collaboration suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, OneDrive, Defender, Designer, and Clipchamp, enhanced with Microsoft Copilot AI integration. Sold via per-seat subscription to consumer, business, and enterprise customers.
• Azure Comprehensive cloud computing platform offering infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, and AI services including Azure AI Foundry, supporting compute, storage, AI, IoT, and developer workloads across a global datacenter network.
• Windows 11 Desktop operating system with integrated AI capabilities enabling on-device AI processing without network connectivity, featuring AI agents for natural language OS interaction. Reached over 1 billion users as of 2026.
• Microsoft Teams Unified communication and collaboration platform combining chat, video meetings, file storage, and application integration. Served over 145 million daily active users and is the primary communication hub within Microsoft 365.
• Xbox Series X Microsoft's flagship current-generation gaming console (the fastest and most powerful Xbox ever), with a strategic shift toward platform licensing to third-party manufacturers including Samsung, ASUS, and Lenovo.
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Gaming subscription service providing access to hundreds of high-quality games on console, PC, or cloud, including day-one first-party Xbox titles from Microsoft's Activision Blizzard-owned studios.
• Surface Pro 13-inch (12th Edition) Premium detachable tablet with 13-inch display featuring Intel Core Ultra Series 3 or Snapdragon processors, designed as a Copilot+ PC with on-device AI capabilities.
• Surface Laptop (8th Edition) Premium clamshell laptop available in 13.8-inch and 15-inch configurations, powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 or Snapdragon processors, built for productivity with AI-powered features.
• Dynamics 365 Cloud-based business applications suite including CRM and ERP capabilities for sales, customer service, finance, operations, and supply chain management, sold as per-seat subscriptions to enterprise customers.
• Microsoft Power Platform Low-code platform enabling users to build applications, automate workflows, analyze data, and create AI-powered solutions using Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents.
• Microsoft Viva Employee experience platform integrating communications, knowledge, insights, and learning into Microsoft 365, with modules for goals, engagement, and wellbeing (including Ally.io integration).
• Microsoft Security Comprehensive security portfolio including Microsoft Defender for endpoint, identity, Office 365, and cloud apps; Sentinel for SIEM; Azure Defender for IoT; and Purview for data governance.
• Visual Studio 2026 Professional integrated development environment and one of the world's most popular IDEs for developers, with enhanced AI-assisted development capabilities and improved performance.
• GitHub Developer collaboration platform providing code hosting, version control, issue tracking, and CI/CD pipelines, hosting over 100 million developers worldwide. GitHub Enterprise is sold on a per-seat subscription basis.
• Windows 365 Cloud PC service streaming Windows desktop experience from Azure, enabling employees to access their personalized Windows 11 workspace from any device.
• Microsoft Copilot AI-powered assistant integrated across Microsoft 365, Windows, Azure, and Bing, leveraging large language models to enhance productivity and automate tasks. Has 15-20 million paid seats within Microsoft 365 Copilot as of early 2026.
• LinkedIn Professional social network with over 950 million members, providing professional networking, talent solutions, premium subscriptions, marketing solutions, and educational content (LinkedIn Learning).

Quantifiable outcome

• Azure revenue reaccelerated to 40% YoY growth in Q2 FY2026
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability14 records

Feature15 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AnthropicflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 June 2026Anthropic joined Microsoft and other AI leaders (OpenAI, Amazon) as an anchor partner in RAISE US, a bipartisan nonprofit with over $500 million funding to help Americans adapt to AI-driven workplace disruptions. Anthropic committed $10 million to the broader AI Education Fund.
• OpenAIflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026Microsoft holds a 27% ownership stake in OpenAI and serves as its primary cloud infrastructure provider, running GPT models on Azure. OpenAI joined RAISE US as an anchor partner with $12 million contribution and technical expertise to the AI Education Fund. Broadcom and OpenAI unveiled Jalapeo, OpenAI's first custom AI chip, with deployment beginning late 2026 through Microsoft and other partners.
• AmazonflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 June 2026Amazon joined Microsoft and Anthropic as anchor partners in RAISE US workforce retraining initiative. Amazon and Microsoft both face EU Digital Markets Act scrutiny requiring interoperability with rivals. Amazon and Microsoft together plan to spend approximately $650 billion combined on AI infrastructure in 2026.
• QualcommcoreTechnology or Integration · 26 June 2026Microsoft confirmed Azure datacenters will deploy Qualcomm's High Bandwidth Compute (HBC) solutions. Qualcomm unveiled its data center AI infrastructure strategy targeting $15 billion in revenue by FY2029, introducing the Dragonfly product portfolio with 6x the bandwidth per watt compared to traditional GPU solutions.
• MetacoreTechnology or Integration · 26 June 2026Meta confirmed a multi-generational partnership with Qualcomm for data-center CPUs (Dragonfly C1000, planned for production in H2 2028), while also joining Microsoft as anchor partners in the RAISE US workforce initiative. Meta holds a significant investment position alongside Microsoft in various AI ecosystem developments.
• WinWire (NTT DATA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 June 2026WinWire (part of NTT DATA) earned the Microsoft Frontier Partner badge within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, placing it among a select group of partners trusted to lead enterprise AI transformation. WinWire met multiple Microsoft Solutions Partner designations and advanced specializations including Microsoft Copilot and AI Application and Platform Innovation.
• CB InsightscoreTechnology or Integration · 26 June 2026CB Insights launched an official connector powered by the Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrating private market intelligence data into Microsoft 365 Copilot, Researcher agent, Copilot in Excel, and Copilot Cowork, enabling competitive intelligence and investment research workflows.
• Chevron (Energy Forge One)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Chevron's wholly owned subsidiary Energy Forge One LLC signed a 20-year power agreement with Microsoft to develop Project Kilby, a co-located power facility in Reeves County, West Texas, supplying approximately 2.67 gigawatts of capacity to a Microsoft datacenter. The project uses primarily GE Vernova natural gas turbines with additional Solar Turbines capacity and is projected to generate over $10 billion in state and local tax revenue.
• MorningstarcoreTechnology or Integration · 25 June 2026Morningstar announced a suite of integrations with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and broader Microsoft 365 ecosystems, including a federated Copilot connector enabling real-time access to Morningstar data alongside internal datasets, a dedicated Morningstar Copilot agent for analyst-backed insights, and a Morningstar plugin for Copilot Cowork for fund screening and analysis.
• CB InsightscoreTechnology or Integration · 25 June 2026CB Insights launched an official MCP connector powered by the Model Context Protocol integrating its private market intelligence data into Microsoft 365 Copilot, Researcher agent, Copilot in Excel, and Copilot Cowork. The integration allows users to query private company information, market maps, funding activity, and competitive intelligence using natural language.
• SamsungcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 February 2026Microsoft is licensing the Xbox platform to Samsung as part of its shift from a proprietary console model to a platform licensing model, similar to the Windows licensing strategy. Samsung is expected to produce Xbox-powered handheld and TV-integrated devices.
• ASUScoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 February 2026Microsoft is licensing the Xbox platform to ASUS as part of its platform licensing strategy. ASUS is expected to produce Xbox-powered gaming hardware, expanding the Xbox ecosystem beyond traditional console form factors.
• LenovocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 9 February 2026Microsoft is licensing the Xbox platform to Lenovo as part of its platform licensing strategy. Lenovo's gaming hardware portfolio makes it a natural partner for Xbox-powered devices.
• Centre for Population GenomicsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Centre for Population Genomics collaborated with Australian Genomics, the Broad Institute, and Microsoft to develop Talos, an open-source tool for automated genomic reanalysis in rare disease diagnosis.
• Australian GenomicsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Australian Genomics partnered with Microsoft Research and the Centre for Population Genomics to develop and validate Talos, an AI-powered genomic reanalysis tool that recovered 90% of diagnoses in clinical trials.
• Broad InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard collaborated with Microsoft Research on Talos, an open-source genomic reanalysis tool that uses AI to identify disease-causing genetic variants from stored sequencing data.
• Responsible Business Alliance (RBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Microsoft is a founding member of the Responsible Business Alliance, a coalition of companies driving sustainable value for workers, the environment, and business throughout the global supply chain through leading standards and practices.
• Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Microsoft is a member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative, a respected resource for companies addressing issues related to the responsible sourcing of minerals in their supply chains, addressing conflict minerals including tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold.
• Global Battery Alliance (GBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Microsoft is a member of the Global Battery Alliance, collaborating on key initiatives related to ensuring a sustainable and responsible battery value chain through Action Partnerships.
• Agoro Carbon AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Microsoft's agreement with the Agoro Carbon Alliance supports regenerative agriculture through native grass seeding, generating an estimated 2.6 million soil organic carbon removal credits while strengthening US farm resilience and restoring soil health, water retention, and biodiversity.
• Pantheon RegenerationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Microsoft supports Pantheon Regeneration's peatland restoration project at the Pocosin Ecological Reserve—one of the first commercial-scale wetland projects in the US—restoring natural water tables, enhancing biodiversity, and removing millions of tons of carbon.
• AI for Good Lab CollaboratorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Microsoft's AI for Good Lab collaborates with ICIMOD, The Nature Conservancy, Humboldt Institute, Smithsonian, Kenya Wildlife Trust, and other partners on satellite-based conservation, biodiversity monitoring, and climate adaptation projects globally.
• Global Renewables Watch (Partnerships: Planet, The Nature Conservancy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Microsoft collaborates with Partnerships: Planet and The Nature Conservancy on the Global Renewables Watch—a living atlas using AI and satellite imagery to map utility-scale solar and wind installations worldwide, supporting the renewable energy transition.
• Planetary ComputercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Microsoft's Planetary Computer combines petabytes of global environmental data with user-friendly tools, helping scientists and conservation leaders turn data into actionable insights through geospatial AI capabilities.
• Symbiosis Coalition (Google, Meta, Salesforce)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Symbiosis, a coalition backed by Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Salesforce, aims to scale high-integrity markets for nature-based carbon removal through forest restoration, agroforestry, and emerging blue carbon projects with a goal of contracting 20 million tons of high-quality removals by 2030.
• Kijani Forestry Smallholder Farmer Project (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020The Kijani Forestry Smallholder Farmer Project in Uganda—one of Africa's largest restoration efforts—restores degraded land, stores carbon, and strengthens rural livelihoods through community-led reforestation, supported by Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund investments.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apple: Apple competes with Microsoft in consumer hardware (Surface vs. Mac/iPad), operating systems (Windows vs. macOS), and services (Apple Intelligence, iCloud vs. Copilot, OneDrive). Both companies generate substantial subscription revenue from integrated consumer ecosystems.
• Sony: Sony PlayStation competes directly with Microsoft Xbox in the gaming console market and through PlayStation Plus subscription service. Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition was partly motivated by competition with Sony's exclusive gaming franchises.
• SAP: SAP is Microsoft's primary competitor in enterprise ERP (SAP S/4HANA vs. Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain) and business applications. Both companies target large enterprise digital transformation with integrated cloud and AI capabilities.
• Alphabet (Google): Alphabet competes directly with Microsoft across cloud (Google Cloud vs. Azure), productivity (Workspace vs. Microsoft 365), AI (Gemini vs. Copilot), and consumer platforms (Android, Chrome, Search vs. Windows, Edge, Bing). Both companies are investing aggressively in AI infrastructure and enterprise AI services.
• Amazon: AWS is Microsoft's primary cloud competitor, with both companies spending heavily on AI infrastructure (~$650B combined planned for 2026). Amazon competes in productivity (limited) and consumer hardware (Echo, Fire) while partnering with Microsoft on workforce retraining initiatives.
• Oracle: Oracle directly competes with Microsoft in cloud infrastructure (Oracle Cloud vs. Azure), database (Autonomous Database vs. Azure SQL/Cosmos DB), and ERP/CRM applications (Oracle Fusion vs. Dynamics 365). Oracle has invested heavily in cloud and AI infrastructure to challenge Azure.
• Salesforce: Salesforce competes with Microsoft in CRM (Salesforce CRM vs. Dynamics 365 Sales), low-code platforms (Salesforce Platform vs. Power Platform), and enterprise AI (Einstein vs. Copilot). Both companies target enterprise digital transformation with integrated cloud platforms.

Broad incumbents

• NVIDIA: NVIDIA supplies the GPUs that power Microsoft's Azure AI infrastructure, making it both a critical supplier and adjacent competitor in the AI value chain. As the dominant AI compute provider, NVIDIA's pricing and supply decisions directly affect Microsoft's AI economics and capacity expansion plans.
• Meta: Meta competes with Microsoft in AI research and infrastructure investment, social/professional networking (partially via LinkedIn overlap), and VR/AR (Quest vs. HoloLens/Mesh). Both companies are among the largest AI infrastructure spenders and partners in the Symbiosis coalition.
• IBM: IBM competes with Microsoft in enterprise hybrid cloud (IBM Cloud vs. Azure Stack), AI platforms (watsonx vs. Azure AI/Copilot), and consulting services. Both companies target large enterprise and government customers with integrated technology and services offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Microsoft
• GitHubgithub.com/microsoft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MicrosoftResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/Microsoft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microsoft
• Instagraminstagram.com/msftissues

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A261 records

Investments362 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Microsoft