Market Cap: $507.5 Billion

Industry: Software and Programming

Founded: 1975

Chief Executive Officer: Satya Nadella

Employees: 114,000

Sales: $85.27 Billion

Headquarters: Redmond, Washington

 

Summary: Microsoft corporation engages in the provision of developing and marketing software and hardware services. Its products and services include computing device operating systems, services, phones, and intelligent devices. The company also produces services that aid in productivity, business solutions, desktop and server management, software development, video games, and online advertising. It holds the third ranking for the world’s most valuable brand, and it is the sixth most profitable of America’s top public companies.

 

Why you should care: In the past decade, Microsoft seems to have lagged behind other software and hardware producers (namely: Apple) in innovation and production. However, they are pioneering big data solutions—a new way to house data when the volume exceeds the capacity or cost limitations for relational database systems. A move to big data, though expected, will dramatically change how we interact with and store data in both personal and corporate worlds.