Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company founded by Bill Gates and the late Paul Allen on April 4, 1975. It is known for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, the Microsoft Office suite, the Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge web browsers, Xbox video game consoles, and the Microsoft Surface line of tablet computers. Microsoft is the largest company by market capitalization, having a peak value of US$3.125 trillion in February 2024.
==Traf-O-Data==
===1972–1975===
Microsoft started as Traf-O-Data in 1972 as a traffic computer manufacturer for traffic lights for the Washington state roads. The company was working for the government at the time (these operations would since be merged into Microsoft). The logo was designed by Miles Gilbert, brother of Paul Gilbert, one of the company's co-founders.Stephen Manes, Paul Andrews (1994). Gates. Touchstone. ISBN 9780671880743.
==Microsoft==
===1975–1980, 2021===
This logo was reused on social media to celebrate its 46th anniversary.
===1980–1982, 2023===
This logo was reused on social media to celebrate its 48th birthday.
===1982–1987===
Despite having been replaced in early 1987, this would continue to be used by the Microsoft Press for another year.
===1987–2012===
Microsoft launched its most well-known logo on February 26, 1987, and since then, has been cherished by many. Up until 2012, multiple variations of this logo was on Microsoft's website and was used on the website even after the 2010 variant below was introduced. It was designed by Scott Baker.
It's still used on older products and some portals (most notably the Windows/Microsoft Update website and boot screen in Windows XP, the Microsoft Update site in Windows Vista, the documentation page for Windows XP Professional, the Xbox 360, the vast majority of pre-2011 Microsoft Game Studios games, and some others, to name a few).
====2010–2012====
On July 22, 2010, a new tagline, "Be What's Next." was revealed at that year's Microsoft Global Exchange (MGX) event.[a] It was officially launched later on November 7 of the same year, when the Microsoft logo was altered slightly, reducing the slant. This logo was the shortest-lived of the company, only being used for 21 months until August 22, 2012. This logo was never used on Microsoft's website, having the previous logo until it was replaced with the current one.
===2012–present===
Microsoft launched its new logo on August 23, 2012, which includes the colorful 2×2 square grid historically been used for Windows with each color representing a specific product (Office, Xbox, Windows and Bing, respectively). This happened around the time Windows 8 was previewed, whose respective logo is fully blue, so the old Windows colors would be brought to the Microsoft logo. However, it isn't entirely new as the square grid was recycled from the one featured in Windows 95 commercials from the mid-90s that would also be used as the original logo of the now-defunct physical Microsoft Store in 2009, when the store would start operating.
==References==
==Notes==
a. When the tagline was first revealed, the 1987 style of the logo was used.
==External links==
Category:Microsoft
Category:Consumer electronics
Category:Computer
Category:Electronics
Category:Technology
Category:Companies of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Category:Companies of the S&P 500
Category:Redmond, Washington
Category:Washington (state)
Category:United States
Category:1970s
Category:1972