n Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Microsoft is committed to promoting innovation and growth through technology solutions, responsible leadership in business practices, and partnerships that create economic and social opportunity. As part of this commitment, Microsoft works with governments, others in the industry, the broader business community, and civil society in an open and transparent way to advocate for public policies that support these and other business goals. Microsoft advocates for policies that ensure that innovators and those willing to invest in the development of new technologies are rewarded for their efforts. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are the best legal framework for supporting the economic incentives that spur innovation. Governments foster innovation and its commercialization through the grant of intellectual property rights that follow international norms, effective enforcement systems, and ensuring that those who hold intellectual property rights have the ability to exercise those rights in a way that makes economic and strategic sense. Policies that promote and protect patents, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets drive investment, job creation, and the broader economic and societal benefits that these promote.
Microsoft supports policies that promote innovation in interoperability-oriented technologies and user choice among solutions. IT users are increasingly focusing on the interoperability of components in their systems and between their systems and other systems. The pace of innovation is at least as rapid in the area of interoperability as it is in other areas of IT, and solutions span product design, industry collaboration, access to technology through cross licensing, and industry developed standards such as Open XML. How these tools are used varies from case to case, and flexibility is important. Microsoft works on its own and in collaboration with customers, partners, and other vendors to deliver solutions that meet marketplace needs. Microsoft supports policies that provide incentives for the creation of innovative solutions to interoperability challenges and the freedom to use technologies that best meet a user's needs. In the area of government use of IT, Microsoft supports government procurement policies and practices that are merit-based, technology-neutral, open, transparent, competitive, and nondiscriminatory and that do not mandate one technology solution over another.
Microsoft believes that the Internet should be fostered and protected as a worldwide vehicle for reliable information and communications, personal expression, innovation, and economic development. At the same time, the Internet raises issues that often justify national government attention, especially in regard to individual privacy, online safety, law enforcement, and national security. It is important that governments address these issues with deliberation and restraint. Microsoft supports an international dialogue and bilateral consultations to promote the consistency of national actions and to maximize the openness, security, and reliability of the Internet platform, including through the development of a clear set of principles that should guide policies and practices of global Internet companies that provide services around the world.
Microsoft partners with universities, governments, the business community, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions to support education reform worldwide. Microsoft support programs and advocate for policies that provide teachers, students, and parents with the tools and training that they need to meet basic educational needs and to promote math and science education at all levels. These initiatives share a common purpose: that every student graduate from secondary school with the skills necessary to succeed in the information economy. Microsoft believes that such engagement and advocacy, by both the private and public sectors at the local and national levels, is essential to creating education systems that enable individuals to participate and prosper in the digital economy.
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As a company, Microsoft value:
* Integrity and honesty.
* Passion for our customers, our partners, and technology.
* Openness and respectfulness.
* Taking on big challenges and seeing them through.
* Constructive self-criticism, self-improvement, and personal excellence.
* Accountability to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality
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Important Dates
Date Event
1975 Microsoft founded
Jan. 1, 1979 Microsoft moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue, Washington
June 25, 1981 Microsoft incorporates
Aug. 12, 1981 IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft's 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0
Feb. 26, 1986 Microsoft moves to corporate campus in Redmond, Washington
March 13, 1986Microsoft stock goes public
Aug. 1, 1989 Microsoft introduces earliest version of Office suite of productivity applications
May 22, 1990 Microsoft launches Windows 3.0
Aug. 24, 1995 Microsoft launches Windows 95
Dec. 7, 1995 Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's commitment to supporting and enhancing the Internet
June 25, 1998 Microsoft launches Windows 98
Feb. 17, 2000Microsoft launches Windows 2000
June 22, 2000 Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer outline Microsoft's .NET strategy for Web services
May 31, 2001Microsoft launches Office XP
Oct. 25, 2001 Microsoft launches Windows XP
Jan. 15, 2002 Bill Gates outlines Microsoft's commitment to Trustworthy Computing
Nov. 7, 2002 Microsoft and partners launch Tablet PC
Jan. 16, 2003 Microsoft declares annual dividend
April 24, 2003 Microsoft launches Windows Server 2003
Oct. 21, 2003 Microsoft launches Microsoft Office System
July 20, 200 Microsoft announces plans to return up to $75 billion to shareholders in dividends and stock buybacks
June 15, 2006 Microsoft announces that Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company in July 2008, Ray Ozzie is named chief technology officer and Craig Mundie chief research and strategy officer
July 20, 2006 Microsoft announces a new $20 billion tender offer and authorizes an additional share-repurchase program of up to $20 billion over five years
Jan. 30, 2007 Microsoft launches Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System to consumers worldwide
