1. Microsoft Name and Logo
The Co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen designed the company’s first log within a day. The funky O was called the “bibbet”. Initially, the name of the company was Micro-soft but hyphen was removed, “Microsoft” was officially registered as a company in November 1976 in New Mexico where Gates and Allen were working with their first major customer, MITS.
2. Microsoft one of the top patent holders
Microsoft is among the top five companies for patents in the US as every year they are filing around 3,000 and holding more than 10,000 patents. Most patents are software related, but they also have one for Xbox 360 games that allow players to watch games remotely.
3. Pizza is the favourite food at Microsoft campus
Microsoft offers free beverages and candies to its staff. They have dozens of cafeterias, which serve more than 35,000 people each day. Even though cafes are stocked with plenty of foods, Pizza is the top pick of food.
4. Microsoft stock investment
Imagine who invested in Microsoft in the early to mid-1980s were perhaps taking a big financial risk. The company was new and is part of a competitive industry. However, those who did take the risk have found that it has paid off very well. An example let’s assume who bought a stock on March 13, 1986. On that date, investors paid $21 for one share of the stock. The value of that one share is almost $15,000 in 2017 which means that in 30 years, the value of the shares has risen by over 71,000%.
5. ‘Sweet’ Tradition
It’s an interesting tradition in Microsoft. If it is the anniversary of the date they started working at Microsoft, there is an expectation that they will bring sweets to share with their colleagues and it has to be M&Ms. The amount of sweets depends on how long they have worked for the company. Traditionally, an employee brings one pound in weight of the sweets every year they have been in the employment of Microsoft. This is a great example of the type of working environment that Gates and Allen established from the beginning of the company.
6. Microsoft Helped Apple
Apple is now one of the most successful businesses in the world and is a direct competitor of Microsoft, but once they ran into financial trouble. In 1997, the company was almost declared bankrupt and they were looking for a massive amount to continue operating. That time Microsoft invested $150 million. Steve Jobs had the difficult job of announcing this investment when he made his first stage appearance as the CEO of Apple. Despite many issues between Gates and Jobs, it was this investment that gave Apple the fuel they needed to become the success they are today.
7. Creators and Owners of the Xbox
People are aware that Microsoft is the creators of the Windows applications used on PCs, not everyone knows that it also owns Xbox games consoles which were created by their in-house team. ‘Xbox’ is an acronym of ‘DirectX Box’. DirectX is the essential software used for Microsoft Windows to make powerful game graphics. Microsoft also own s the games and applications, the streaming services, and an online service called Xbox Live. The original console was launched in the US in November 2001. Almost 24 million units were sold before May 2006. The second console was announced in 2005 and almost 77.2 million units were sold by April 2013.
8. Microsoft Employees Are Called Softies
Anybody who is hired by Microsoft is given the nickname ‘Softie’. Microsoft has more than 88K employees working in different departments. There are more than 55K premises in the US alone. While many workplaces aim to have an equal ratio of male and female employees, but the male to female ratio at Microsoft is extremely high. Almost 74% of the employees at this company are male. Average Microsoft employee is a 38-year-old male. The average salary for a developer is $106,000.
9. Large Art Collection
Microsoft is known for having Clip Art that folks can use in various applications when creating documents and presentations. They are also one of the biggest company art collectors in the world. Across their different premises, they have a huge collection of over 5K pieces of contemporary art that include sculptures, paintings, studio glass, ceramics, photographs, works on paper, and a variety of multimedia works. Senior management at Microsoft considers that art in the workplace can help to reduce stress, create a pleasant working atmosphere, encourage the demonstration of opinions, and open discussions, and increase productivity. With so many benefits, it is little surprise that Microsoft is continuing to expand its collection of corporate art.
10. Unusual Interviewing Techniques
Microsoft wants to recruit the best staff possible and the interview stage is an important part of their recruitment process. Microsoft has a different approach. They have a preference for off-beat questions that require candidates to think innovatively about their responses. Microsoft tries to include questions and tasks that show the personalities and skills of their prospective employees rather than simply asking basic questions that a candidate could practice the answers in advance. According to some sources, one of the best questions they ask during an interview is why a manhole cover is round.
