Big tech, Redmond

Microsoft

Redmond · Founded 1975

Quick read

Microsoft Corporation, public tech company, founded 1975 by Bill Gates, headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It operates across cloud (Azure), productivity software (Microsoft 365), and AI (Copilot), with 228,000 employees and $190 billion in planned capital expenditure for calendar year 2026. Its LinkedIn subsidiary, with 1.3 billion members, accounts for roughly 6.3% of annual revenue and is pushing hard into AI-driven hiring tools.

Key facts

Founded
1975
Founders
William H. Gates III
Employees
228000
Sectors
saas, ai, enterprise, hardware, security

Mission

Microsoft builds AI-first cloud infrastructure, productivity software, and professional network products for enterprises and individuals worldwide, with Azure, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and LinkedIn as its primary commercial engines.

Recent activity

  • May 2026leadership
    LinkedIn cut jobs as part of Microsoft's broader workforce reshaping for the AI era, with cuts hitting Australia and other markets — adding to over 92,000 tech industry layoffs industrywide in 2026. bloomberg.com
  • May 2026press
    Microsoft confirmed $190 billion in capital expenditures planned for calendar year 2026, up 61% from 2025, signalling a major AI infrastructure bet. Bill Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed a new MSFT position, calling the stock 'a highly compelling valuation.' finance.yahoo.com
  • May 2026product
    Microsoft introduced a three-year purchasing option for Microsoft 365 Copilot in CSP, aligning it with existing M365 E3/E5 long-term SKUs. learn.microsoft.com
  • May 2026investment
    Microsoft's M12 venture fund invested in AI startup Inception's $50 million seed round (late 2025), and Microsoft is now in active acquisition talks with Inception — valued at over $1 billion — as it prepares for a future less dependent on OpenAI. reuters.com
  • Apr 2026leadership
    LinkedIn named COO Daniel Shapero its new CEO, effective immediately. Former CEO Ryan Roslansky moved into a broader role at Microsoft. The change coincided with the retirement of Rajesh Jha, EVP of Microsoft's experiences and devices group, triggering a wider executive reshuffle. reuters.com
  • Mar 2026leadership
    Microsoft overhauled its HR organisation, consolidating Global Talent Acquisition under a single owner and moving AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman to lead the newly formed AI superintelligence team. businessinsider.com
  • Feb 2026leadership
    Douglas Phillips named President and CTO of Microsoft Specialized Clouds, per the official Microsoft blog. blogs.microsoft.com

Key people

Named individuals at the firm. We don't expose direct email or phone — use their LinkedIn for outreach.

  • Satya Nadella · CEO
  • Kathleen T. Hogan · COO
  • John W. Thompson · Board Member
  • Reid G. Hoffman · Board Member
  • Charles H. Noski · Board Member
  • Mustafa Suleyman · CEO
  • Amy Hood · CFO
  • Kevin Scott · CTO & EVP of AI
  • Brad Smith · Vice Chair & President
  • Phil Spencer · CEO of Microsoft Gaming
  • Charlie Bell · EVP of Security

Sources

Other companies in United States

  • OpenAI · AI lab, San Francisco·
  • Anthropic · AI safety lab, San Francisco·
  • Stripe · Payments infrastructure, San Francisco·
  • NVIDIA · AI hardware, Santa Clara·
  • Databricks · Data + AI platform, San Francisco·
  • Snowflake · Cloud data warehouse, Bozeman MT

Frequently asked

What is Microsoft?+

Microsoft Corporation, public tech company, founded 1975 by Bill Gates, headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It operates across cloud (Azure), productivity software (Microsoft 365), and AI (Copilot), with 228,000 employees and $190 billion in planned capital expenditure for calendar year 2026.

Where is Microsoft headquartered?+

Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, United States.

When was Microsoft founded?+

Microsoft was founded in 1975 by William H. Gates III.

What sectors does Microsoft operate in?+

Microsoft focuses on saas, ai, enterprise, hardware, security. They primarily operate in these sectors.

Who is the CEO of Microsoft?+

Satya Nadella is the CEO of Microsoft.

How do I prepare for a meeting with Microsoft?+

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Generated by briefthecall.com from public web sources on May 27, 2026. Each claim is linked to its source above.