Microsoft Wikipedia

In August 2025 a joint investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call reported that Microsoft Azure provides storage for mass-surveilled Palestinian phone calls to identify bombing targets in Gaza. The organization requested that European data protection authorities investigate whether this data processing complies with EU law. The IDF’s usage of Azure intensified during the Gaza war and genocide, doubling its stored data to over 13.6 petabytes from March to July 2024. This inquiry was part of broader efforts by the U.S. government to enforce guidelines on the power of major tech companies. Microsoft’s Teams usage soared during the pandemic, growing from 2 million daily users in 2017 to 300 million in 2023. Negotiations with the European Commission continued until the summer of 2023, but reached an impasse that led to Microsoft facing an antitrust investigation from the European Union.

• In November 2018, Microsoft agreed to supply 100,000 Microsoft HoloLens headsets to the United States military in order to “increase lethality by enhancing the ability to detect, decide and engage before the enemy.” In November 2018, Microsoft introduced Azure Multi-Factor Authentication for Microsoft Azure.
• In March 2018, Microsoft recalled Windows 10 S to change it to a mode for the Windows operating system rather than a separate and unique operating system.
• According to that report, the issue can affect Microsoft Teams Free, OneDrive, Microsoft Edge, Excel, Word, and Microsoft 365 Copilot when those apps require a Microsoft account sign-in.
• Microsoft also warns that restarting without an active internet connection may return the device to the same faulty state.
• In October 2024, Microsoft fired two employees, software engineers Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, who organized an unauthorized vigil at its Redmond headquarters to honor Palestinians killed in the Gaza war.

The Microsoft Office app is now Microsoft 365 Copilot

In November 2016, Microsoft joined the Linux Foundation as a Platinum member during Microsoft’s Connect(); developer event in New York. It aims to help enterprises protect their data as it moves between servers and devices. Intune for Education is a new cloud-based application and device management service for the education sector. On January 24, 2017, Microsoft showcased Intune for Education at the BETT 2017 education technology conference in London. In 2015, the construction of a data center in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, led to the destruction of a historic African American cemetery despite archeological recommendations for preservation.

Microsoft created Windows CE 1.0, a new OS designed for devices with low memory and other constraints, such as personal digital assistants. Following Bill Gates’s internal “Internet Tidal Wave memo” on May 26, 1995, Microsoft began to redefine its offerings and expand its product line into computer networking and the World Wide Web. On July 27, 1994, the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division filed a competitive impact statement stating that since 1988, Microsoft had increasingly induced OEMs to pay royalties under a per-processor license for microprocessors in their computers regardless of whether or not a Microsoft product was used. It shipped on July 21, 1993, with a new modular kernel and the 32-bit Win32 application programming interface (API), making it easier to port from 16-bit (MS-DOS-based) Windows. IBM had copyrighted the IBM PC BIOS, so other companies had to reverse engineer it for non-IBM hardware to run as IBM PC compatibles, but no such restriction applied to the operating systems. For this deal, Microsoft purchased a CP/M clone called 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products which it branded as MS-DOS, although IBM rebranded it to IBM PC DOS.

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According to the same release health update cited by third-party media, organizations using Entra ID for app authentication are not affected by this particular problem. It doesn’t look like you’re connected to the Internet.” The report also says Microsoft believes the problem is tied to a specific network connectivity state triggered after the update is installed. Microsoft says affected devices may show an error message saying the user needs the internet, even when the PC is connected. According to that report, the issue can affect Microsoft Teams Free, OneDrive, Microsoft Edge, Excel, Word, and Microsoft 365 Copilot when those apps require a Microsoft account sign-in. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement added Microsoft to its list of targets for partnering “with the apartheid regime of Israel and its prison system”. On March 20, 2025, before an event at Seattle’s Great Hall with Brad Smith and Steve Ballmer, protestors projected “Microsoft powers genocide” on the wall.

Another community site that provides daily videocasts and other services, On10.net, launched on March 3, 2006. In April 2004, Microsoft launched a community site for developers and users, titled Channel 9, that provides a wiki and an Internet forum. Technical references for developers and articles for various Microsoft magazines such as Microsoft Systems Journal (MSJ) are available through the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). Microsoft noted in a blog post that the attack might have been prevented if the accounts in question had enabled multi-factor authentication, a defensive measure which is widely recommended in the industry, including by Microsoft itself. On a Friday afternoon in January 2024, Microsoft disclosed that a Russian state-sponsored group hacked into its corporate systems.

In 2015, Microsoft established its own parental leave policy to allow 12 weeks off for parental leave with an additional 8 weeks for the parent who gave birth. In August 2018, Microsoft implemented a policy for all companies providing subcontractors to require 12 weeks of paid parental leave to each employee. Microsoft is an outspoken opponent of the cap on H-1B visas, which allows companies in the U.S. to employ certain foreign workers.

To cope with the potential for an increase in demand for products and services, Microsoft opened a number of “holiday stores” across the U.S. to complement the increasing number of “bricks-and-mortar” Microsoft Stores that opened in 2012. Azure Services Platform, the company’s entry into the cloud computing market for Windows, launched on October 27, 2008. Gates retired from his role as Chief Software Architect on June 27, 2008, a decision announced in June 2006, while retaining other positions related to the company in addition to being an advisor for the company on key projects. Microsoft Office 2007, released at the same time, featured a “Ribbon” user interface which was a significant departure from its predecessors. On October 25, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, unifying the mainstream and NT lines of OS under the NT codebase.

On February 4, 2014, Steve Ballmer stepped down as CEO of Microsoft and was succeeded by Satya Nadella, who previously led Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise division. On September 3, 2013, Microsoft agreed to buy Nokia’s mobile unit for $7 billion, following Amy Hood taking the role of CFO. On July 19, 2013, Microsoft stocks suffered its biggest one-day percentage sell-off since the year 2000, after its fourth-quarter report raised concerns among investors on the poor showings of both Windows 8 and the Surface tablet. In October 2012, Microsoft launched Windows 8, Microsoft Surface, and Windows Phone 8.

The employees, part of the group No Azure for Apartheid, sought to address the company’s involvement in the Israeli government’s use of its technology. In October 2024, Microsoft fired two employees, software engineers Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal, who organized an unauthorized vigil at its Redmond headquarters to honor Palestinians jokabet withdrawal killed in the Gaza war. The European Commission issued a statement of objections, alleging Microsoft’s practice since 2019 gave Teams an unfair market advantage and limited interoperability with competing software. In June 2024, Microsoft faced a potential EU fine after regulators accused it of abusing market power by bundling its Teams video-conferencing app with its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 software. This is due to the company being tax resident in Bermuda as mentioned in the accounts for ‘Microsoft Round Island One, a subsidiary that collects license fees from the use of Microsoft software worldwide. The company is often referred to as a “Velvet Sweatshop”, a term which originated in a 1989 Seattle Times article, and later became used to describe the company by some of Microsoft’s own employees.

If you’ve ever been annoyed by Windows updates, Microsoft is finally listening here by moving to a single monthly reboot and the ability to pause updates for as long as you want. Microsoft has been promising improvements for its modern native user interface framework for years, but it hasn’t done enough to make Windows 11 feel as responsive as Windows 10. Microsoft is also planning to reduce the latency of interactions with the Start menu, by moving more core parts of Windows to WinUI3. Microsoft is focusing on improving overall system performance to make apps and built-in features feel more responsive. Microsoft is also focused on improving File Explorer in its initial wave of Windows 11 fixes. “Over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback,” says Davuluri in a blog post committing to Windows quality improvements.