Microsoft turns 50: Tracking Bill Gates' journey - from a dorm room to tech powerhouse

Microsoft started with two friends, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, who had a wild idea back in 1975. They dreamt of a world where everyone had a personal computer in their home. And guess what? Today, we can’t even think of our lives without them!

2025 marks 50 years since these two friends, barely out of school, decided to take on the world with their passion for computers.

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The Spark of an Idea

Imagine: Fifty years ago, computers were these huge, complicated machines that only big companies and scientists used. But Bill and Paul thought, "Hey, why can't everyone have one of these cool things?"

They wanted to make computers user-friendly, something that regular folks could use every day. Affordability and ease of navigation was their prime focus when they ran through ideas.

The Birth of Microsoft

The two started a company called ‘Microsoft’, and slowly but surely, they started creating software that made computers easier to use. Remember MS-DOS? It might sound ancient now, but it was a big deal back then as it was the first step towards the Windows operating system that most of us use today.

The Journey of a Startup

It wasn't always a smooth ride, of course. Starting a company is difficult and demanding, and these guys were super young. They believed in their idea so much that they worked day and night to make it happen.

The Impact of Microsoft

Over the years, Microsoft has given us so many things that we take for granted now. ‘MS Word’ for writing our school essays and office reports, ‘MS Excel’ for keeping track of, well, everything, and ‘MS PowerPoint’ for those presentations we all love (or maybe not so much). And let’s not forget the Internet Explorer, which helped us connect to the World Wide Web.

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But it’s not just about the software. Microsoft has also played a huge role in how we work, learn, and even play. They’ve created jobs for millions of people around the world and have constantly pushed the boundaries of technology.

Looking Ahead

Microsoft is a big player in the tech world. The company has revealed its AI plans, combining the technology with cloud computing. Last month, Bill Gates predicted that AI would replace humans for most things.

The company is celebrating its 50-year anniversary with a special event at the headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The software maker will unveil new Copilot features.