Microsoft emerged as a digital age pioneer when Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the software upstart in 1975, according to Microsoft’s website. A half-century later, the company remains a force for innovation whose products and services are integrated into the daily lives of millions of people — even if they don’t always know they’re using them.
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That level of product diversification has earned Microsoft a staggering $3.9 trillion market cap, second only to NVIDIA, per CompaniesMarketCap. It’s bigger than Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta. Microsoft is worth three times more than Tesla.
Here’s a look at some of the ways you might be contributing to Microsoft’s sprawling empire without even knowing it, by using products and services you never knew belonged to the company.
You probably know Microsoft is behind the Windows OS that powers your computer. But did you know that you’re expanding Microsoft’s empire every time you use that computer to post resumes, apply for jobs and network on LinkedIn?
In 2016, Microsoft acquired the world’s largest professional networking site for $26.2 billion, per Microsoft. Today, LinkedIn has more than 1 billion members in more than 200 countries worldwide, according to its website.
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Skype — or, More Recently, Teams
Before the COVID-19 pandemic minted Zoom as the quarantined world’s videoconferencing platform of choice, there was Skype. Founded in 2003, Skype was a trailblazer in video chat technology. In 2011 Microsoft purchased it for $8.5 billion, absorbing the platform’s more than 160 million active users into the Microsoft ecosystem, according to Microsoft.
Despite the rise of Zoom, Skype remained a juggernaut and you might have spent 14 years using it without realizing you were on a Microsoft app. The platform retained its original brand identity until May 2025, when Microsoft began phasing Skype out and migrating its user base over to Teams. However, many VoIP networks still use Skype infrastructure, whether their users know it or not.
Microsoft Azure
The list of Fortune 500 companies that rely on Microsoft Azure for storage, cloud computing, AI, analytics and networking is so vast that it’s unlikely that you haven’t used it without realizing it at some point.
But it’s not just the private sector. Governments of all sizes across the country use Azure, as do healthcare organizations and pharmaceutical companies. Giants like Campbell’s, Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble rely on Azure, as do major banks, retail firms and manufacturers.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Microsoft’s $3.9 Trillion Empire: 3 Products You Use Without Realizing It
