One of the world's biggest technology companies, behind Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure cloud, Xbox and the Copilot AI assistants. Its mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
Microsoft is one of the largest technology companies in the world. Its software and services are used by people at home, at school and at work: Windows, Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook), the Azure cloud platform (computing power that organisations rent over the internet), Xbox and Surface devices. In recent years it has put AI at the centre of its products through Copilot, which brings AI assistants into the tools people already use.
The company was founded on 4 April 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, and began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to the Seattle area and then to Redmond, Washington, which is still its headquarters. Satya Nadella is chief executive. In the UK, Microsoft's headquarters is its campus at Thames Valley Park in Reading, on the River Thames. Its UK offices page also lists offices in Cambridge, Edinburgh, Enfield, Manchester and Paddington in London. In April 2024 Microsoft announced an AI hub in Paddington, led by Jordan Hoffmann, a former DeepMind AI scientist, working on advanced language models with other Microsoft teams and OpenAI.
Microsoft's stated mission is to "empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more". On its About page it describes four commitments: expanding economic opportunity, creating a safe and responsible digital world, supporting people's fundamental rights, and meeting its climate goals while helping others do the same. Its three values are respect, integrity and accountability.
Microsoft's UK site says the company works in the UK on cloud computing, new ways for people to interact with technology, transforming education and public services, and supporting the UK economy. Security is a big part of the picture because so many organisations run on Microsoft's cloud and software, which is why Microsoft is in this sector. Microsoft Learn, its free learning site, is a good place to start building skills.
For young people, Microsoft is a good example of how many different careers sit inside one technology company. A Microsoft UK blog profiled graduates working as a software engineer on Cortana for Windows, a technical specialist moving from the Surface team to the Power Platform team, an enterprise channel manager for health customers, and a marketing manager running events. Graduates on that page describe the Microsoft Aspire Experience as the graduate pathway, being "given real responsibility from day one", and a "fail fast" mindset, meaning it is fine to try things and learn from mistakes. One said: "Be yourself. At Microsoft we value people based on who they are, their passions and their potential." That page is several years old. Microsoft has also offered a Future Forward apprenticeship (the Apprentice Data Academy): a three-year, 36-hours-a-week job leading to a Level 6 Digital Technology Solutions Professional qualification, working with data tools such as Excel, Power BI and SQL, based in London and Reading (applications closed 22 January 2024; pay was not stated). Current programmes and entry requirements change each year, so check the Microsoft careers site.
Website: www.microsoft.com
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