Microsoft Celebrates its 50 Years; Original Source Code is Free for Download

Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft fifty years ago with a simple but powerful idea: to create technology so that people across the world might build even more technology. Microsoft's first product was the BASIC interpreter for the Altair, which gave people the ability to build software, kicking off the PC revolution and establishing a completely new industry.

"It’s so wonderful to be here with all of you celebrating 50 years of Microsoft. And it’s especially exciting to be doing it at a time like this. For me, though, it starts with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, who are both here with us today. I want to say a very big thank you to the two of you, and to Paul Allen, and what you’ve meant to me personally and your vision that you had building this extraordinary company of ours that I’ve had the privilege to be part of. Thank you for your vision, your leadership, your passion, and for building the Microsoft that we know today. A company that has truly changed the world," Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, shared the following remarks at Microsoft’s 50th anniversary.

​Here are some of the stories from the official Facebook page of Bill Gates.

Paul Allen and Bill Gates

Before there was Office or Windows 95 or Xbox Or AI, there was Altair BASIC.

​Bill Gates offers to let anyone download the original source code of Microsoft. He and Paul Allen wrote 50 years ago.

"Look through the original Microsoft
source code for yourself. Computer programming has come a long way over the last fifty years, but I'm still super proud of how it turned out,"
​said Bill Gates on his website gatesnotes.com.