Fifty years ago today, Micro-Soft was founded by friends Bill Gates and Paul Allen. As the name implies, Microsoft was originally focused on microprocessors and software, and Gates and Allen created the company to develop software for the Altair 8800, an early personal computer.
Founded on April 4th, 1975, Microsoft went on to strike a deal with IBM to provide software for its first PC in 1980. This became the foundation of MS-DOS, which dominated IBM-compatible PCs during the โ80s. Microsoftโs early success in developing software for PCs eventually led to the first version of Windows in 1985 and a dream of a PC on every desk and in every home.
That early Windows GUI on top of MS-DOS quickly progressed into an even more capable operating system with the launch of Windows 95. The highly-anticipated version of Windows launched at midnight, with fans lining up at stores to get boxed copies of Windows 95 to install on their PCs. Windows 95 introduced many parts of Windows that we still use today, including the familiar desktop, File Explorer, My Documents area, and Recycle Bin.
While Microsoft was improving Windows with every release, it was also developing a variety of productivity apps throughout the 1980s that would soon become the companyโs Office suite. Launched originally in 1989 for the Mac, Office quickly became an important productivity suite on Windows that even runs inside a web browser these days. Office and Windows are now used by billions of people every day, making Microsoft one of the most valuable tech companies in the world.
Microsoftโs success with Windows and Office has allowed the company to expand in many directions over the past 50 years, including the launch of the Xbox game console in 2001, the Azure cloud push in 2008, and even the Bing search engine launch in 2009.
Microsoft has also experimented with a variety of hardware over the years, but its most successful device lineup has come in the form of Surface, which originally launched in 2012 alongside Windows 8. Surface has served as a vehicle to demonstrate the best of Windows and Office, and itโs quickly becoming a test bed for Microsoftโs AI ambitions on the PC.
Microsoftโs next 50 years look increasingly focused on an AI transformation itโs in the middle of building toward. It has the potential to overhaul Windows, Office, Azure, and practically every business that Microsoft has built over the decades.
Microsoft is celebrating its 50-year anniversary today during a special event at the companyโs headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The software maker will unveil new Copilot features, and weโre expecting to see familiar faces from the past and present of Microsoft to reflect on the companyโs 50 years and the future of this tech giant.
Microsoft was originally founded on April 4th, 1975, and the tech giant is now celebrating its 50-year anniversary. Microsoft started with a focus on personal computers, building the very software that helped it achieve an early goal of a PC on every desk and in every home.
The success of Windows and Office has allowed Microsoft to launch devices like the Xbox and Surface line and transform its business into software and services in the cloud. Now, Microsoft looks ahead to its next 50 years in a period of AI that could transform everything it does.
Follow along for our coverage of Microsoftโs 50 years, the companyโs celebrations, and whatโs next for one of the worldโs most valuable tech companies.
Fintech startup Plaid has raised $575 million in a new funding round that puts its valuation at $6 billionโless than half of its 2021 peak of $13.4 billion. The new round gives employees a way to cash out their equity, [โฆ]
The post Plaid raises $575M at $6B valuation, down from $13.4B peak, letting employees cash out amid IPO delay first appeared on Tech Startups.
First things first, some exciting news: The Vergecast has been nominated for a Webby Award! This one means a lot to us, especially because itรขยยs an award you get to vote on. Weรขยยd be so grateful if youรขยยd go vote for us once, or 40 times, or however many times the site will allow. (Also, honestly, you should listen to some of the other nominees; all four are great shows. Just donรขยยt vote for them.)
Now, as for this episode. This is a seriously Vergecast-y week, actually, in the sense that two of the yearรขยยs biggest news stories รขยย the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Trump administrationรขยยs disastrous economic policy รขยยรย are both unfolding simultaneously, and stand to affect one another in unusually direct ways. So in this episode, thatรขยยs what we talk about: the gadget weรขยยre all eagerly awaiting, and the policy chaos that could change the way it works.
Subscribe:รย Spotifyรย |รย Appleรย Podcastsรย |รย Overcastรย |รย Pocket Castsรย |รย More
First, we talk Switch. Nintendoรขยยs Direct announcement this week brought a lot of new information about the companyรขยยs new console, and a peek at some of its most anticipated games. Nilay, David, and The Vergeรขยยs Richard Lawler dig into wha …
I said a few years ago that Express Transit is a tiny feature that makes a huge difference, and planning a last-minute trip revealed the same is true of another Wallet feature.
The ability to add foreign transit cards direct to the Wallet app before you even leave home is a travelerโs delight โฆ
moreโฆ
Andrew Cunningham and Lee Hutchinson have spent decades of their lives with Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's Wheel of Time books, and they previously brought that knowledge to bear as they recapped each first season episode and second season episode of Amazon's WoT TV series. Now we're back in the saddle for season 3โalong with insights, jokes, and the occasional wild theory.
These recaps won't cover every element of every episode, but they will contain major spoilers for the show and the book series. We'll do our best to not spoil major future events from the books, but there's always the danger that something might slip out. If you want to stay completely unspoiled and haven't read the books, these recaps aren't for you.
New episodes of The Wheel of Time season 3 will be posted for Amazon Prime subscribers every Thursday. This write-up covers episode six, "The Shadow in the Night," which was released on April 3.
ยฉ Prime/Amazon MGM Studios
Honda is looking to the stars for its next hydrogen breakthrough.
The automaker is teaming up with space tech companies Sierra Space and Tec-Masters to test its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system on the International Space Station. The test is part of Hondaโs vision to support life on the Moon and elsewhere in space using regenerative fuel cell technology that continuously produces hydrogen, oxygen, and electricity.
Itโs another risky move from Honda, which is more bullish on hydrogen than most other automakers. Hydrogen-powered cars have historically faced a lot of hurdles, including fueling challenges and pricing pressures. But Honda is counting on hydrogen to help it decarbonize its vehicle fleet by 2040. And now it wants to tap into the most abundant element in the universe to power its push into space.
Honda says it envisions its hydrogen-powered regenerative system as part of a human settlement on the lunar surface. But it also hopes that by stress testing the technology on the Moon, it can prove its utility on Earth.
Itโs another risky move from Honda, which is more bullish on hydrogen than most other automakers
Hereโs how Hondaโs system works: during the lunar day, the system will use electricity generated by solar panels capturing sunlight. The companyโs high-differential pressure water electrolysis system will then produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. When the Moon rotates away from the Sun, some of the oxygen will be used for astronauts, with the rest put toward generating electricity. The only byproduct of the electrolysis process is water, which is recycled back into the regenerative system, creating a closed-loop energy cycle.
Honda plans on testing the process in the microgravity environment on the ISS. The company says it will work with NASA to transport the equipment on Sierra Spaceโs Dream Chaser spaceplane, with Tec-Masters as the ISS technology expert.
Creating a reliable source of oxygen and electricity in space would help humans establish livable habitats off-Earth in an era when space travel seems more achievable than ever. While the science community has explored the use of electrolysis as a means to sustain life in the vacuum of space, it has found that low gravity environments will have some effect on the gas-evolving process. A study published in 2022 concluded that around 11 percent less oxygen was created through electrolysis in a lunar environment as compared to the gravity of Earth.
London, United Kingdom, 4th April 2025, Chainwire
The post Extsy Officially Launches on April 4th, 2025: A New Era of Seamless Crypto Trading with Industry-Leading Features first appeared on Tech Startups.
