Microsoft

US software and cloud company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen and based in Redmond, Washington. It reported revenue of $331.8 billion for the fiscal year to June 2026 and is opening an Azure cloud region in Saudi Arabia.

Industry: Software and cloud computing | Location: Redmond, United States | Founded: 1975

About Microsoft

Microsoft is a US technology company that makes software, cloud services and devices, including the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 and Office applications, the Azure cloud platform and the Xbox gaming business. It is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. As of 30 September 2026 it listed 119 subsidiary locations and about 223,000 employees.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the company in 1975 to write software for the Altair 8800 personal computer. It was incorporated in June 1981 and went public on 13 March 1986. Satya Nadella has been chief executive since February 2014 and is also chairman. Amy Hood is chief financial officer and Brad Smith is vice chair and president. Samer Abu-Ltaif, based in the United Arab Emirates, has led Europe, Middle East and Africa since January 2025, and Naim Yazbeck is president for the Middle East and Africa.

It launched Dynamics 365 in 2016 and Microsoft 365 Copilot in March 2023. In the fiscal year to 30 June 2026 its Intelligent Cloud segment reported revenue of $137.8 billion and Productivity and Business Processes $140.0 billion.

Its acquisitions include Skype in October 2011, LinkedIn in December 2016, GitHub in October 2018, Nuance in March 2022 and Activision Blizzard in October 2023. It extended its partnership with OpenAI in January 2023. In February 2023 it announced plans for a cloud region in Saudi Arabia, and in September 2026 it named HUMAIN, G42 and the Government of Kuwait as regional partners.

Microsoft is listed on Nasdaq under MSFT. In its results of 29 July 2026 it reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $331.8 billion, up 18 percent, and net income of $133.7 billion, against $101.8 billion a year earlier. Microsoft Cloud revenue was $59.3 billion in the June quarter, and the chief executive said Azure revenue passed $100 billion in the year.

On 24 September 2026 Microsoft said it would spend more than $10 billion in capital and operating expenses across Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE through 2030, and TechScoop reported on 7 September that its Saudi Azure region was set to launch in November.

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