Bunge vs Microsoft: Founders, CEOs and History
Bunge was founded in 1818 by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge and is led by Gregory A. Heckman. Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella.
Company facts
Founders
Bunge
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge founded Bunge & Co. in Amsterdam in 1818 as an import-export house.
Microsoft
Bill Gates
Microsoft was founded in 1975 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, childhood friends from Seattle who had spent their teenage years finding ways to get free time on mainframe computers.
Paul Allen
Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft and was crucial to its earliest technical and strategic decisions. He helped develop Altair BASIC, gave the company its original name, and participated in the operating-system opportunity that led to MS-DOS.
CEOs and their tenures
Bunge
- Alberto Weisser1999–2013
Chief Executive Officer
Weisser led Bunge as it moved its headquarters from São Paulo to the New York area and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2001, then through the 2002 Cereol acquisition that made it the world's largest soybean processor.
Source - Soren Schroder2013–2019
Chief Executive Officer
Schroder became CEO in June 2013. His tenure included a takeover approach from Glencore in 2017 and a reported approach from ADM in January 2018.
Source - Gregory A. Heckman2019–present
Chief Executive Officer
Heckman joined Bunge's board in October 2018, when activist investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain pushed for change, became acting CEO on 22 January 2019 and CEO in April 2019.
Source
Microsoft
- Bill Gates1975–2000
Co-founder and CEO
Gates built Microsoft's licensing model: software sold to many hardware makers rather than tied to one.
Source - Steve Ballmer2000–2014
CEO
Ballmer grew revenue from about $23 billion in FY2000 to about $78 billion in FY2013 and built the enterprise server and sales business that Azure later scaled on.
Source - Satya Nadella2014–present
Chairman and CEO
Nadella made Azure and Microsoft 365 the company's core, opened Microsoft to Linux and open source, and positioned it early in generative AI through OpenAI.
Source
Timeline: Bunge and Microsoft side by side
1818Bunge
Bunge & Co. founded in Amsterdam
Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge set up Bunge & Co. in Amsterdam as an import-export trading house, the business that still carries his name.
1859Bunge
Edouard Bunge moves the firm to Antwerp
The founder's grandson Edouard Bunge relocated the company to Antwerp, Belgium, one of Europe's busiest ports for colonial and grain trade.
1884Bunge
Bunge y Born launched in Argentina
Ernest Bunge and the Born family started a grain trading company in Buenos Aires as Argentina emerged as a major grain exporter. Bunge y Born grew into elevators, flour mills and export logistics.
1905Bunge
Expansion into Brazil
Bunge extended its South American business into Brazil, which later became its most important origin for soybeans.
1918Bunge
Trading begins in North America
Bunge started trading in North America, the world's largest agricultural market.
1975Microsoft
Microsoft Founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft after recognizing that the Altair 8800 needed usable programming software. Their first product, Altair BASIC, turned a hobbyist computer kit into a programmable platform.
1981Microsoft
MS-DOS Ships With IBM PC
IBM introduced its personal computer with MS-DOS 1.0 and other Microsoft products. The milestone mattered because Microsoft's operating-system work moved from a small software supplier's project into the emerging corporate PC standard.
1985Microsoft
Windows Launch
The release of Windows 1.0 began Microsoft's long move from command-line operating systems to graphical personal computing. The first version was not an instant blockbuster, but it gave Microsoft a user-interface path that could evolve with PC hardware.
1986Microsoft
Microsoft IPO
Microsoft went public on the Nasdaq in March 1986.
1990Microsoft
Office Suite Release
The bundling of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into Microsoft Office created a productivity suite that became central to business work. The bundle simplified enterprise purchasing and made file compatibility a competitive weapon.
1995Microsoft
Windows 95 Released
Microsoft released Windows 95 in August 1995.
1997Bunge
Ceval makes Bunge Brazil's top soy processor
After a 1993 to 1997 restructuring that refocused the group on agribusiness, Bunge acquired Ceval, the largest soybean processor in Brazil. Acquisitions and organic growth over the next seven years made it the largest soy processor in South America.
1998Microsoft
U.S. Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Microsoft of using Windows power to suppress browser competition. The case mattered because it placed Microsoft's platform tactics under public and legal scrutiny at the height of its PC strong position.
2001Bunge
NYSE listing and a US headquarters
Bunge Limited listed on the New York Stock Exchange in August 2001 under the ticker BG and moved its headquarters from São Paulo to the New York area, ending 183 years of private ownership.
2002Bunge
Cereol acquisition
Bunge bought 55 percent of French oilseed processor Cereol from Italy's Edison for ~$508 million (449.2 million euros) and then the publicly held shares.
2005Bunge
First soybean plant in China
Bunge opened its first soybean processing plant in China, the world's largest soybean importer.
2010Bunge
Entry into sugar and ethanol
Bunge entered the sugar business in Brazil, a diversification it later moved into a joint venture with BP in 2019 and exited in 2024.
2010Microsoft
Azure Commercial Launch
Azure gave Microsoft a way to compete in cloud infrastructure as enterprise customers began shifting workloads away from company-owned servers.
2014Microsoft
Satya Nadella CEO
Satya Nadella became CEO and moved Microsoft away from a strategy that forced every product to serve Windows. He prioritized Azure, Microsoft 365, open source, Linux support, cross-platform software, and a more collaborative developer posture.
2016Microsoft
LinkedIn Acquisition
Microsoft agreed to acquire LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion in cash. The deal mattered because it added a professional identity network to a company already strong in Office, Dynamics, cloud services, recruiting tools, advertising, and enterprise sales.
2018Bunge
Loders Croklaan and a bicentennial
Bunge completed its purchase of 70 percent of IOI Loders Croklaan, a specialty palm and tropical oils business, for $946 million, and marked 200 years since its founding.
2018Bunge
Activist investors reshape the board
Under pressure from investors D.E. Shaw and Continental Grain, Bunge added three directors in October 2018, including Gregory Heckman. On 10 December 2018 it said CEO Soren Schroder would step down.
2018Microsoft
GitHub Acquisition
Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock, reversing years of developer skepticism toward the company. The acquisition placed Microsoft inside the daily workflow of software developers across languages, clouds, and operating systems.
2019Bunge
Gregory Heckman becomes CEO
Heckman was named acting CEO on 22 January 2019 and appointed chief executive in April 2019, starting a review of the portfolio and a shift to global value chains.
2019Bunge
Headquarters move to St. Louis and BP sugar venture
Bunge moved its global headquarters from White Plains, New York, to the St. Louis area and combined its Brazilian sugar and bioenergy business with BP's in a 50/50 joint venture.
2021Bunge
Chevron renewable feedstock venture announced
Bunge and Chevron announced a joint venture to supply soybean oil for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel from Bunge's crushing plants in Destrehan, Louisiana, and Cairo, Illinois.
2023Bunge
Added to the S&P 500
Bunge replaced Signature Bank in the S&P 500 effective 15 March 2023.
2023Bunge
Viterra merger agreed
On 13 June 2023 Bunge agreed to combine with Viterra, the grain handler owned by Glencore, CPP Investments and British Columbia Investment Management, for Bunge shares and about $2 billion in cash.
2023Bunge
Redomiciled to Switzerland
Bunge moved its place of incorporation from Bermuda to Switzerland in November 2023, becoming Bunge Global SA with a registered office in Geneva while keeping its headquarters in St. Louis.
2023Microsoft
AI Leadership
Microsoft's expanded OpenAI partnership and Copilot product rollout placed the company at the center of enterprise generative AI adoption.
2023Microsoft
Activision Blizzard Acquisition Closes
Microsoft completed the Activision Blizzard acquisition after intense regulatory review. The deal added Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Candy Crush, and other franchises to Microsoft Gaming.
2024Bunge
Exit from sugar and bioenergy
On 1 October 2024 Bunge completed the sale of its 50 percent stake in BP Bunge Bioenergia to bp, a stake valued at about $1.4 billion in enterprise value.
2025Bunge
Canada approves the Viterra deal with conditions
Canada's government approved the merger on 14 January 2025, requiring Bunge to sell six Western Canadian grain elevators, invest at least ~$374 million (C$520 million) in Canada within five years and keep a Canadian head office in Regina.
2025Bunge
North American corn milling sold
Bunge completed the sale of its North American dry corn and corn masa milling business to flour miller Grain Craft on 1 July 2025.
2025Bunge
Viterra merger completed
The Viterra merger closed on 2 July 2025 after China's approval. Glencore received about 32.8 million Bunge shares, 16.4 percent of the enlarged company, and about $900 million in cash.
2026Bunge
IFF soy protein and lecithin businesses acquired
On 2 March 2026 Bunge closed its purchase of IFF's soy protein concentrate, lecithin and soy crush businesses, including the Response, Alpha, Procon and Solec brands.
2026Bunge
Investor Day sets 2030 earnings target
At its 10 March 2026 Investor Day Bunge set a mid-cycle EPS baseline of about $13, a goal of at least $15 by the end of 2030 and a new $3 billion share repurchase programme.
2026Bunge
Guidance raised after a strong second quarter
Bunge reported second-quarter net income of $678 million on 29 July 2026, completed its $2 billion Viterra-related buyback and raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $9.25 to $9.75.
2026Bunge
Sugar mills to be sold to COFCO International
On 1 September 2026 Bunge agreed to sell the Rio Vermelho and Nova Unialco sugarcane mills in São Paulo state, inherited from Viterra, to COFCO International, subject to regulatory approval.
Acquisitions
Bunge
- IFF soy protein concentrate, lecithin and soy crush businesses2026Undisclosed
- Viterra Limited2025$8.2B
- IOI Loders Croklaan (70 percent stake)2018$946M
- Cereol S.A.2002$815M
- Ceval Alimentos1997Undisclosed
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- GitHub2018$7.5B
- LinkedIn2016$26.2B
Questions about Bunge vs Microsoft
Who is the CEO of Bunge Global SA and Microsoft Corporation?
Bunge Global SA is led by Gregory A. Heckman and Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Bunge Global SA founded vs Microsoft Corporation?
Bunge Global SA was founded in 1818 — 157 years before Microsoft Corporation, which was founded in 1975. Bunge Global SA's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Microsoft Corporation.
How many employees does Bunge Global SA have compared to Microsoft Corporation?
Bunge Global SA employs approximately 34,000 people, while Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Bunge Global SA's 34,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Bunge Global SA and Microsoft Corporation headquartered?
Both Bunge Global SA and Microsoft Corporation are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Bunge Global SA and Microsoft Corporation?
Bunge Global SA was founded by Johann Peter Gottlieb Bunge. Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen.
Which company has a longer operating history — Bunge Global SA or Microsoft Corporation?
Bunge Global SA has been operating for approximately 208 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Microsoft Corporation has been in operation for around 51 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Bunge vs Microsoft overview