5 things you might not know about Microsoft
We all know the basics: Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Windows and Word, but here are a few almost forgotten moments you might not know about the company that helped build the modern tech world.
📍 It started in Albuquerque: Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Gates and Allen in New Mexico, where the Lakeside School alumni created one of the first computer language programs for a personal computer.
The company didn't move to Washington until 1979 when it leased office space in Bellevue, per HistoryLink.
💾 Their first product wasn't for a PC: Microsoft's inaugural product, a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800, was built for a mail-order hobbyist computer lacking a screen or keyboard.
They developed the software without access to an actual Altair, instead simulating it on a Harvard mainframe, and then crossed their fingers it would work, according to this week's commemorative blog post from Gates.
🎮 Xbox was almost canceled: Microsoft execs nearly pulled the plug on what has become one of the company's signature brands.
🌐 Microsoft was late to the internet: The company didn't see the web as a big deal until Netscape began to emerge as the face of the internet.
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