5 Things You Didn’t Know about Microsoft

Published on: May 26th, 2011

We all have heard the story of Microsoft’s rivalry with Apple, but how much do we really know about this multi-billion dollar company? Here are five things you didn’t know about Microsoft.

Five Things You Didn’t Know about Microsoft

How many of the following facts did you know about Microsoft and Bill Gates?

1. Bill Gates actually is a genius. Did you know that Bill Gates’ IQ is estimated to be about the same as Albert Einstein’s? That means his IQ is around 160. Not too bad for someone who allegedly “stole” code to make his fortune.
2. The Company was Almost Named Micro-Soft. Allen and Gates founded Micro-Soft in 1975. A year later, Allen and Gates registered Microsoft in New Mexico. The company moved its offices in 1979 from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Bellevue, Washington, and again, to Redmond, Washington, in 1986. The company incorporated in 1981 as Microsoft Inc.
3. Microsoft Dropped the “Revenue Bomb” more than 25 years ago. Charles Simony, who ran Microsfot’s applications business in its early heyday, used a concept he called the “revenue bomb” to bring Multiplan to multiple platforms. At the time – the early 1980s – Microsoft evaluated products it planned to develop along an axis against different computing platforms.
4. Bill Gates received the National medal of Technology and Innovation. President George Bush presented the award in 1992 for Gates’ accomplishments developing computer languages. Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak received the same award in 1985 for their development of the personal computer.
5. Microsoft could have owned YouTube. Approximately six months before Google’s 2006 YouTube merger announcement, Microsoft passed on a $500 million acquisition opportunity. Google paid $1.6 billion. Today, YouTube is the most popular video site on the web.