10 Questions
When was Microsoft founded?
1975
What are Microsoft's best-known software products?
Windows, Microsoft Office, and Internet Explorer
What are Microsoft's flagship hardware products?
Xbox and Microsoft Surface
What market is Microsoft dominant in?
IBM PC compatible operating system market
Who is the current CEO of Microsoft?
Satya Nadella
What did Microsoft acquire in 2014?
Nokia and Mojang
What language generator does Microsoft have exclusive rights to use?
OpenAI's GPT-3
What did Microsoft announce in 2021 regarding Microsoft Teams calls?
End-to-end encryption support
What company did Microsoft acquire that measures companies' progress against OKRs?
Ally.io
What is Microsoft's plan regarding their sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies?
They plan to hire an external law firm to review their policies
Study Notes
- Microsoft is an American multinational technology corporation.
- It was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
- Microsoft's best-known software products are Windows, Microsoft Office, and Internet Explorer.
- Its flagship hardware products are Xbox and Microsoft Surface.
- Microsoft is one of the Big Five American information technology companies.
- The company has diversified from the operating system market and has made several corporate acquisitions.
- Microsoft has been criticized for its monopolistic practices and software problems.
- Microsoft is market-dominant in the IBM PC compatible operating system market and office software suite market.
- The company has scaled back on hardware and focused on cloud computing under Satya Nadella's leadership.
- Microsoft has reclaimed its position as the most valuable publicly traded company in the world and reached the trillion-dollar market cap in 2019.
- Microsoft released Windows 95 with a new start button and 32-bit compatibility.
- Windows 95 came bundled with MSN and Internet Explorer.
- In 2000, Bill Gates handed over the CEO position to Steve Ballmer and became Chief Software Architect.
- Microsoft faced antitrust legal action from the European Union in 2004.
- In 2007, Microsoft released Windows Vista and Office 2007 with a new user interface.
- Azure Services Platform, the company's entry into the cloud computing market, launched in 2008.
- Microsoft opened its first retail store in 2009 and released Windows 7.
- In 2010, Microsoft revamped its flagship mobile operating system with Windows Phone OS.
- Microsoft unveiled Windows 8 in 2011, designed to power personal computers and tablets.
- Kinect, a motion-sensing input device, was upgraded for the 2013 release of the Xbox One.
- Microsoft filed a patent application in 2011 to monitor TV viewers with the Kinect camera system
- Microsoft suffered a loss of over $32 billion in 2013
- In 2014, Satya Nadella became CEO and Microsoft acquired Nokia and Mojang
- Windows 10 was released in 2015 and Microsoft laid off 7,800 employees in their mobile-phone business
- In 2018, Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion and partnered with Toyota Tsusho for fish farming tools
- Microsoft joined the Open Invention Network community and agreed to supply the US military with 100,000 HoloLens headsets
- Microsoft closed its retail stores due to the COVID-19 pandemic and announced plans to close Mixer service
- Microsoft was in talks to acquire TikTok in 2020
- Microsoft stopped its xCloud game streaming test for iOS devices due to Apple's restrictions
- Additional products and initiatives include Intune for Education, Azure Sphere, and Project Mu
- Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media, Nuance Communications, Takelessons, Clipchamp, and Activision Blizzard.
- Microsoft announced exclusive rights to use OpenAI's GPT-3 language generator.
- Microsoft released the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles.
- Microsoft announced and released Windows 11.
- Microsoft began rolling out end-to-end encryption support for Microsoft Teams calls.
- Microsoft acquired Ally.io, a software service that measures companies' progress against OKRs.
- Microsoft announced a new 10-year deal with the London Stock Exchange.
- Microsoft announced a layoff of 10,000 employees.
- Microsoft announced a new investment deal with ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
- Microsoft's board of directors plans to hire an external law firm to review its sexual harassment and gender discrimination policies.
Test your knowledge of one of the world's leading technology corporations with this Microsoft trivia quiz! From its founding by Bill Gates and Paul Allen to its current CEO, Satya Nadella, this quiz will cover Microsoft's history, software and hardware products, corporate acquisitions, controversies, and recent developments. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just curious about Microsoft's impact on the industry, this quiz is sure to challenge and inform you. So put your thinking cap on and see how much you really know about
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