In its 2024 financial year, Microsoft generated ** billion U.S. dollars from its productivity and business processes segment and a further *** billion through its intelligent cloud segment. Thanks in part to the rapid growth in these two areas, 2024 proved to be the company’s most successful year ever in terms of annual revenue, with the total figure reaching over *** billion dollars. Microsoft Corporation Since its foundation in 1975, Microsoft has grown into one of the most successful tech firms in the world and has experienced years of continued success. In order to ensure that this growth persists, the company has added tens of thousands of employees over the past decade and invested billions into research and development. Some of Microsoft’s major business ventures include its Windows operating system, various lines of consumer electronics, software packages such as Microsoft Office, as well as newer offerings such as cloud computing capabilities. Intelligent cloud segment As Microsoft's fastest-growing business, intelligent cloud replaced the more personal computing segment in FY2020 to become the company's largest business segment. The intelligent cloud segment contains Microsoft's public, private, and hybrid server products and cloud services, such as Azure, SQL Server, etc. Together with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Azure is one of the most popular cloud infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offerings. The intelligent cloud segment, however, does not reflect the totality of Microsoft's cloud business, as Office 365 - the company's popular cloud collaboration solution - is grouped under the productivity and business processes segment. The software giant has established a firm footing in the fast-growing cloud market.

In Microsoft's fiscal year 2024, which spanned from July 2023 to June 2024, gaming revenue reached 15.47 billion U.S. dollars, down from 21.5 billion U.S. dollars in the previous fiscal period. Microsoft's gaming segment includes revenues from Xbox hardware and Xbox content and services, comprising digital transactions, Xbox Game Pass and other subscriptions, video games, third-party video game royalties, cloud services, and advertising. Microsoft is earning the fruits of its acquisition labor In recent years, Microsoft has made many strategic acquisitions to grow its gaming segment, and these efforts have paid off. Finally closing its purchase of Activision Blizzard after about 20 months of regulatory negotiations across the globe, this success was immediately reflected in the company’s quarterly gaming revenue, which jumped from 3.9 billion U.S. dollars to 7.1 billion U.S. dollars between October and December 2023. Of course, part of this growth is also the Christmas season, which is responsible for the biggest months in gaming sales. However, revenue in the following quarter settled back to 5.4 billion U.S. dollars, which is significantly higher than the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Layoffs at Microsoft despite gaming segment growth Despite Microsoft’s financial success in its gaming segment, the company has announced and performed several rounds of layoffs at many of its owned gaming companies, as well as shuttering some game studios entirely. In January 2024, mere months after closing its record-breaking Activision Blizzard deal, Microsoft laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and Xbox employees, citing “areas of overlap” and an “alignment of strategy” and growth. These layoffs are on par with the current state of the industry – an early 2024 survey of game developers found that about a third of respondents had experienced layoffs in the last 12 months.

Microsoft's global revenue grew from fiscal year 2022 to 2024, increasing by about ***** percent year-on-year and reaching over *** billion U.S. dollars. This marks another record-setting year for the software giant in terms of sales revenue. Microsoft and Bill Gates Microsoft has become a constant figure among the world’s most valuable brands. Its founder Bill Gates is presently, and perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the richest men in the United States and among the richest billionaires worldwide, among other well-known figures such as Warren Buffet, Carlos Slim Helu, and Larry Ellison. In addition to his status as an entrepreneur, Bill Gates is also known for his philanthropy. In 2000, together with his wife, they created the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation has donated a considerable amount of money, in particular in the area of research and development of treatments for neglected diseases. While Bill Gates no longer heads the Microsoft Corporation, the company itself continues to show strong results around the world, with versions of its most well-known product, the Windows operating system, consistently leading the home operating system market. The Microsoft Office suite also remains the most widely used office software around the world, with few comparable competitors in sight. The fiscal year-end of the company is June, 30th.

In fiscal year 2024, Microsoft Corporation's revenue by segment (products & services) are as follows: Devices: $4.71 B, Dynamics Products And Cloud Services: $6.48 B, Enterprise Services: $7.59 B, Gaming: $21.50 B, Linked In Corporation: $16.37 B, Microsoft Office System: $54.88 B, Other Products And Services: $45.00 M, Search And News Advertising: $12.58 B, Server Products And Tools: $97.73 B, Windows: $23.24 B.

Microsoft Corporation’s quarterly revenue quadrupled within the last 12 years, increasing from 14.45 billion U.S. dollars in the third quarter of 2008 to over 70 billion in the third quarter of their 2025 fiscal year. Over the highlighted period, the largest increase in quarterly revenue occurred between the first and second quarters of 2010, with revenue increasing by more than six billion U.S. dollars. Intelligent Cloud segment leads Microsoft’s revenues    Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology company that develops and sells a wide range of consumer and enterprise software, hardware, services, and consumer electronics. In its 2021 financial year, Microsoft generated most of its revenue from its Intelligent Cloud segment, which includes Microsoft's popular cloud flatform Azure. The Productivity and Business Processes segment, including the successful line of the Office products, also brings in an increasing amount of revenues. The rapid growths in these segments contributed to making 2021 the company’s most successful year in terms of annual revenue, which amounted to more than 168 billion U.S. dollars. Microsoft's income growth is equally impressive Not only has Microsoft seen great evolution in terms of sales, the company has been making better and better profits as well. Microsoft's annual net income reached 73 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2022, delivering an impressive margin of over 35 percent. In a time when the COVID-19 pandemic imposed social distancing and remote working practices onto businesses and individuals, technology companies such as Microsoft provide the essential tools that make such practices possible. Their businesses grow as a result.

In the fiscal year 2024, Microsoft Corporation reported a net income of over 88.14 billion U.S. dollars, an increase from fiscal year 2023 figure of 72.36 billion U.S. dollars. Microsoft’s sales revenue also peaked in fiscal year 2024 at 245 billion U.S. dollars. Microsoft Corporation Since its foundation in 1975, Microsoft has grown into one of the most successful tech firms in the world and has experienced decades of continued success. Some of the company’s major business ventures include its Windows operating system, its software packages such as Microsoft Office, its lines of consumer electronics, as well as newer offerings such as cloud computing solutions. Since 2014, Microsoft’s intelligent cloud segment has experienced consistent growth and has become the biggest revenue earner for the company. The technology industry As technology becomes further integrated into nearly all aspects of daily life, companies such as Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft have grown into some of the most powerful entities in the world. Spending in the IT industry alone amounts to trillions of dollars each year, meaning that these tech giants are well-positioned for continued success. The fiscal year-end of the company is June, 30th.

In the fiscal year 2024, Microsoft earned almost *** billion U.S. dollars from external customers, of which their Office products and cloud services accounted for close to ** billion U.S. dollars. Server products and cloud services accounted for the largest share of this revenue, with around ** billion U.S. dollars in FY2024.

In the most recently reported fiscal quarter ending March 2025 (FY 2025 Q3), Microsoft generated approximately 5.7 billion U.S. dollars through its gaming segment. The tech company's gaming segment includes Xbox hardware and Xbox content and services, comprising Xbox Live (transactions, subscriptions, cloud services, and advertising), video games, and third-party video game royalties, as well as gaming revenues from its recently closed acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard.

The German-based enterprise software company SAP SE is one of the leading companies in the corporate technology world. In 2024, SAP's global revenue amounted to 34 billion euros. For many years, the company has generated multibillion dollar revenues on a quarterly basis. According to the company's financial reports, the largest share of corporate revenue stems from cloud and software sales, which accounted for over 25 billion euros of their revenue in 2023. SAP is among the top ten most valuable German brands, competing with brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. SAP: A Global Leader in Technology As of 2023, SAP employed well over 100 thousand people worldwide, most working in research and development. That year, R&D expenditure came to 6 billion euros. The next largest department in terms of employees was the sales and marketing division, the strength of which is apparent from the company's continued recognition as one of the most valuable technology brands worldwide. Since 2014, SAP has partnerships with IBM and Microsoft. IBM provides the infrastructure service to support SAP's cloud software, and Microsoft cooperates with SAP to provide tools for data visualization and mobile applications.

In the third quarter of fiscal year 2025, Microsoft generated over 26 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from intelligent cloud services. Microsoft is offering cloud computing services through Azure to its customers. Its solutions include infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and software as a service (SaaS), which can be used for virtual computing, analytics, networking, and storage, for example.

The US video game industry, a significant segment of the global market, is experiencing robust growth. With a global market size of $57.91 billion in 2025 and a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 9.41%, the US market, a major contributor to this figure, is projected to see substantial expansion over the forecast period (2025-2033). Driving this growth are several factors, including the increasing popularity of esports, the continued evolution of game technology leading to more immersive and engaging experiences (e.g., advancements in VR/AR), and the expanding accessibility of gaming through mobile platforms and cloud gaming services. Furthermore, the rise of in-app purchases, subscriptions, and downloadable content (DLC) are significant revenue streams fueling the market's expansion. While potential restraints exist, such as market saturation in certain segments and the occasional release of underperforming titles, the overall trajectory remains positive. The diverse range of gaming platforms—mobile, console, and PC—offers significant opportunities for growth, with mobile gaming leading the charge due to its accessibility and ease of use. Major players like Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, and Microsoft are continuously investing in new game development, acquisitions, and technological advancements to maintain their market share and capitalize on emerging trends. The segmentation of the US video game market across different platforms (mobile, console, PC) reflects diverse consumer preferences and technological advancements. The console gaming segment likely maintains a strong position, supported by loyal player bases and regular high-profile releases. PC gaming, driven by its high-performance capabilities and the modding community, continues to attract a dedicated player base. However, mobile gaming's widespread accessibility and ease of play are likely pushing it toward a dominant market share within the US, fueled by the increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile-first strategies from game developers. Geographical variations within the US market are less pronounced than global differences, but regional disparities in income levels, internet penetration, and gaming culture may influence localized market dynamics. The continued expansion of the industry hinges on the continued innovation in game design, the adaptation to new technologies and platforms, and the effective engagement with evolving consumer preferences. Recent developments include: May 2022: Electronic Arts has partnered with Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, to develop a new free-to-play mobile game. The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is a Collectible Role-Playing Game (RPG) that brings the fantasy and adventure of The Lord of the Rings to existing fans and new audiences alike in a strategic, social-competitive experience., April 2022: Activision Blizzard, Inc. announced that its stockholders approved Microsoft Corporation's proposal to acquire the company. In January 2022, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for USD 95.00 per share in an all-cash transaction. The proposed transaction is expected to close in Microsoft's fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.. Key drivers for this market are: Growing Cloud Gaming subscriptions, Increasing trend fpr PVP format. Potential restraints include: Growing Cloud Gaming subscriptions, Increasing trend fpr PVP format. Notable trends are: Mobile Gaming Segment Expected to Dominate the Market.

In 2024, Meta Platforms generated a revenue of over 164 billion U.S. dollars, up from 134 billion USD in 2023. The majority of Meta’s profits come from its advertising revenue.Meta’s total Family of Apps revenue for 2022 amounted to 114 billion U.S. dollars. Additionally, Meta’s Reality Labs, the company’s VR division, generated around 2.1 billion dollars. Meta’s marketing expenditure for 2022 amounted to just over 15 billion U.S. dollars, up from 14 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Increasing audience base despite privacy misgivings Meta’s user numbers have continued to grow steadily throughout past years. In the fourth quarter of 2022, there was a total of 3.74 billion worldwide users across all of Meta’s platforms. For this same time frame, the company recorded 407 million monthly active users across Europe. Downloads of Meta’s app Oculus, for which virtual reality headsets are required, increased greatly from 2020 to 2021, reaching a total of 10.62 million downloads by the end of last year. Up until 2021, downloads had grown in a steady manner but from 2020 to 2021, they more than doubled.User numbers have increased despite data security issues and past controversy such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. There remains skepticism surrounding the idea of the metaverse in which Meta aims to immerse itself. Of surveyed adults in the United States, the majority said that they were concerned about their privacy if Meta were to succeed in creating the metaverse.

In the fiscal year 2024, Microsoft Corporation spent 24.46 billion U.S. dollars on sales and marketing, the company’s highest annual expenditure to date. In the past decade, Microsoft has slowly increased sales and marketing spending, with the annual figure rising by more than six billion U.S. dollars during that time. Microsoft also spend heavily on research and development, with spending in this domain also amounting to over 29 billion U.S. dollars in FY2024. Microsoft Corporation Founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975, Microsoft has since grown into one of the most successful tech firms in the world and has experienced decades of continued success. The company’s famous Windows operating system, its lines of consumer electronics, and its popular software packages such as Microsoft Office have become widely popular for both business and personal usage. Continuously innovating and adapting, Microsoft has come to offer different cloud computing services and its intelligence cloud segment has become the biggest revenue earner for the company. Microsoft's cloud offerings include Azure, the infrastructure platform, and Office 365, the collaboration suite. Tech Industry As technology becomes further integrated into nearly all aspects of daily life, companies such as Apple, Alphabet, and Microsoft have grown into some of the most powerful entities in the world. Spending in the IT industry alone amounts to trillions of dollars each year, meaning that these tech giants are well-positioned for continued success.

Microsoft Corporation is a major international employer, with around 228 thousand full-time employees worldwide in its 2024 fiscal year. The employees of Microsoft's are distributed over four main business units - Operations, product research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administration. 126 thousand of Microsoft's full-time employees are located in the United States, the company's home market.

How many employees does Microsoft have? The American technology company Microsoft employs approximately 228,000 people in full-time positions worldwide. Around 60 percent of Microsoft’s employees are located in the company’s home country the United States. The employees are spread out over four business units: operations (manufacturing, distribution, product support, and consulting services), research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administration. Product portfolio and business segmentsMicrosoft sells a wide range of consumer and enterprise software, hardware, and services. The technology company had a revenue standing at around 245 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2024, most of which came from the commercial licensing of its software and operating systems. For example, Microsoft Windows is a dominating presence in the desktop operating systems market, with a market share of around 73 percent. Microsoft U.S. tech giant Microsoft is one of the biggest technology companies in the United States next to Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and IBM. Microsoft’s market capitalization has consistently grown to over three trillion U.S. dollars over the period from 2014 to 2024. Today Microsoft is one of the most valuable brands worldwide with a brand value close to 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars, with only Apple having a higher brand value. The fiscal year end of the company is June, 30th.

The global virtual meeting room system market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the increasing adoption of remote work models, the need for enhanced collaboration tools, and the rising demand for flexible and cost-effective communication solutions across various industries. The market, estimated at $15 billion in 2025, is projected to achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15% from 2025 to 2033, reaching approximately $45 billion by 2033. This expansion is fueled by several key factors. The proliferation of high-speed internet access and affordable devices has made virtual meeting rooms accessible to a wider audience, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that previously lacked the resources for sophisticated communication technologies. Furthermore, advancements in video conferencing technology, such as improved video quality, enhanced audio capabilities, and seamless screen sharing, are significantly improving the user experience and driving adoption. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into virtual meeting room systems is further enhancing functionality with features like real-time transcription, automated meeting summaries, and advanced analytics. This creates more efficient and productive virtual meetings. The market is segmented by type (video conferencing and audio conferencing) and application (large enterprises and SMEs). While video conferencing currently dominates, audio conferencing maintains a significant presence, particularly in scenarios where high-bandwidth internet access is limited. Large enterprises represent a major segment, driving a considerable portion of the market revenue due to their higher adoption rates and sophisticated requirements. However, SMEs are exhibiting substantial growth, indicating a broadening market reach. Geographic segmentation shows strong performance in North America and Europe, driven by high technological adoption rates and established infrastructure. However, the Asia-Pacific region shows significant potential for future growth, fueled by rapidly expanding digital economies and increasing internet penetration. Despite the growth, market restraints include concerns related to data security and privacy, the digital divide in some regions, and the potential for technology-induced fatigue. However, these challenges are being actively addressed through enhanced security protocols, accessibility initiatives, and the development of user-friendly interfaces.

Microsoft’s research and development expenditure amounted to around ** billion U.S. dollars in its 2024 fiscal year, a record high. Microsoft ranks second among software and computer service companies worldwide in terms of R&D spend, behind only Google’s parent company Alphabet. Microsoft Corporation One of the most successful tech companies worldwide, Microsoft, together with its most famous product, the Windows operating system, has long been a household name. The company’s fiscal year 2021 not only witnessed a record spending for R&D, but also a record high in terms of annual sales – Microsoft brought in ****** billion U.S. dollars in net sales that year, proving that their businesses are stronger than ever, after years of continued success. Microsoft's Diverse businesses Some of Microsoft’s major business ventures include the above-mentioned Windows operating system, software packages such as Microsoft Office, various lines of consumer electronics, as well as cloud computing offerings. Microsoft’s productivity and business processes segment, which include products such as Office 365 and LinkedIn, brought in around **** billion U.S. dollars in the 2021 fiscal year.

The Americas is Salesforce’s largest regional market, bringing in about 25 billion U.S. dollars for the software company in its 2025 fiscal year. The overall revenue in that year reached 38 billion U.S. dollars, a record high. Subscription and support is Salesforce’s most prolific business division – sales in this segment contributed 36 billion U.S. dollars to its overall revenue. Salesforce: a top CRM and SaaS player A cloud-based software company known for its wide range of customer-relationship management (CRM) offerings, Salesforce is one of the largest software and programming companies worldwide. Over the years, its leading position in the CRM software market has strengthened – its market share in 2020 came to 22 percent, more than four times the market presence of runner-up Microsoft. In the global public cloud SaaS market, Salesforce overtook Microsoft in 2019, and had a 9.3 percent share in 2020. Salesforce's cloud offerings Salesforce's cloud offerings are divided into the following categories: sales, service, marketing and commerce, as well as platform and other, which includes their Customer 360 PaaS solution and integration, analytics, and productivity offerings. Services and sales are the largest segments, with each bringing in about seven and eight billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2024. Platform and other subsegments brought in over six billion U.S. dollars in the same fiscal year, while the marketing and commerce subsegment contributed to just under four billion U.S. dollars.

In 2020, gaming software revenue for Microsoft's Xbox console series amounted to 4.79 billion U.S. dollars. However, consumer spending on Xbox gaming software is projected to jump to 6.35 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 as the fourth generation of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, were released in November 2020, giving gamers more incentive to spend money on games for their new system.

LinkedIn is a business and employment focused social networking site that was launched in 2002 and is owned by Microsoft. According to estimates, LinkedIn generated over 6.44 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from users who subscribed to premium accounts, as well as 3.95 billion U.S. dollars in other revenues, and 5.93 billion USD in revenues from advertising.