Amazing facts you probably didn't know about Microsoft

Like it or not, Microsoft is everywhere. From its origins as a super-hot startup in the 1970s to taking over the world in the 1990s to its current reinvention under CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has a long and storied history right alongside the PC itself.

But how much do you really know about Microsoft? Here are 12 things you probably never knew about the biggest name in the PC business.

 

Microsoft saved Apple from bankruptcy

In 1997, Microsoft saved Apple from almost-certain bankruptcy by making a $150 million investment. Steve Jobs announced it on stage at his first appearance as Apple CEO, to boos from the audience.

 

Bill Gates was named youngest-ever billionaire in 1987

In fact, in 1987, at age 31, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates became the youngest-ever billionaire at the time. In 1995, he'd become the world's richest man with a net worth of $12.9 billion.

 

Microsoft has created over 12,000 millionaires

Beyond just Mr Gates, analysts estimate that Microsoft's explosive growth has made for at least two more billionaires and as many as 12,000 millionaires. Like former CEO Steve Ballmer, who bought the LA Clippers for $2 billion in 2014.

 

Bill Gates and Paul Allen designed company's first logo

Microsoft cofounders Bill Gates and Paul Allen designed the company's first logo in under a day. The funky "O" was called the "blibbet".

 

Rolling Stones' song was Windows 95's theme song

Famed producer and musician Brian Eno wrote the famous Windows startup sound, which debuted in Windows 95. In fact, Windows 95 had a close relationship with music. The Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" was the operating system's official theme song, and the super-deluxe CD version came with the music video for Weezer's "Buddy Holly".

 

Excel was Microsoft's first killer app

Microsoft's first killer app was Microsoft Excel, which unseated the reigning spreadsheet champions Apple VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3. Without Excel, nothing else would have been possible.

 

Microsoft employees bring M&Ms on their work anniversaries

Microsoft employees are expected to bring M&Ms to the office to share on their work anniversaries — tradition is, one pound for every year they've been with the company.

 

Microsoft holds over 48,000 patents

Microsoft holds 48,313 patents, including one for its funky futuristic "HoloLens" headset.

 

Microsoft launched first-ever smartwatch

In 1994, Timex and Microsoft designed the Datalink 150 watch together. It was the first-ever smartwatch, beating Apple by 12 years. It also wasn't that great.

Microsoft had early prototypes of lots of technologies, including real-time translation, tablet computers, and internet-connected TV gadgets. Most of them didn't make it to market, and the ones that did flopped.

 

Bill Gates house Xanadu 2.0 said to be worth $123m

In 1988, Gates bought his 66,000 square foot "Xanadu 2.0" estate in Medina, Washington, for $2 million. It's said to be worth $123 million today.

 

 

Microsoft employees drink 23 million free beverages every year

Microsoft employees drink 23 million free beverages from the company cafeteria every year — mostly milk and orange juice.

 

Microsoft and Apple: From friends to foes

Microsoft and Apple actually worked together for years on software for the first Macintosh computer — until Microsoft announced its competing Windows, which sparked a rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs that lasted for decades.