Microsoft vs Salesforce: Founders, CEOs and History
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella. Salesforce was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff and is led by Marc Benioff.
Company facts
Microsoft
- Founded
- 1975
- Headquarters
- Redmond, Washington, United States
- Current CEO
- Satya Nadella
- Employees
- 223,000
Salesforce
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California
- Current CEO
- Marc Benioff
- Employees
- 83,334
Founders
Microsoft
Bill Gates
Microsoft possesses arguably the most well-known, foundational founding story of the entire personal computing revolution, rooted in the intense, effective partnership of two teenage computer prodigies who recognized the software potential of the microcomputer…
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.
Salesforce
Marc Benioff
Marc Benioff is a fiercely visionary American technology entrepreneur, highly aggressive corporate architect, and the profoundly influential CEO and founding patriarch fundamentally responsible for creating the massively dominant Salesforce cloud software empi…
Parker Harris
Parker Harris is an absolutely brilliant software engineer, fiercely skilled digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for programming the incredibly complex infrastructural bedrock of the massive Salesfor…
Dave Moellenhoff
Dave Moellenhoff is a highly astute software engineer, fiercely visionary digital operator, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for architecting the highly critical security and multi-tenant frameworks of the massive S…
Frank Dominguez
Frank Dominguez is a fiercely brilliant software engineer, highly strategic digital architect, and the profoundly influential technical co-founder fundamentally responsible for the incredibly robust frontend engineering and early product development of the mas…
CEOs and their tenures
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
Salesforce
- Marc Benioff1999–present
Chair and Chief Executive Officer
Benioff has led Salesforce for its entire history, apart from co-CEO periods with Keith Block (2018-2020) and Bret Taylor (2021-2023).
Source - Parker Harris1999–present
Co-founder, Director and Chief Technology Officer, Slack
Harris is the remaining co-founder in an executive role and a member of the board.
Source
Timeline: Microsoft and Salesforce side by side
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.
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.
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.
1999Salesforce
Salesforce is founded
Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez founded Salesforce to deliver CRM through a browser.
2004Salesforce
NYSE IPO
Salesforce completed its initial public offering and gave the SaaS model public-market proof.
2005Salesforce
AppExchange launches
Salesforce opened the platform to third-party applications, strengthening its ecosystem moat.
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.
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.
2019Salesforce
Tableau acquisition closes
Salesforce added analytics and visualization through the Tableau acquisition.
2021Salesforce
Slack acquisition closes
Salesforce acquired Slack to add workplace collaboration as a workflow surface for CRM data.
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.
2026Salesforce
FY2026 revenue reaches $41.525B
Salesforce reported $41.525 billion in FY2026 revenue, with subscription and support revenue of $39.388 billion.
2026Salesforce
Q2 fiscal 2027 and raised guidance
Salesforce reported Q2 fiscal 2027 revenue of $11.345 billion, up 11%, Agentforce and Data 360 ARR of nearly $3.9 billion, and raised fiscal 2027 guidance to $46.1-46.4 billion.
Acquisitions
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- GitHub2018$7.5B
- LinkedIn2016$26.2B
Salesforce
- Informatica2025$8B
- Own2024$1.9B
- PredictSpring and Tenyx2024Undisclosed
- Airkit.ai2023Undisclosed
- Spiff2023Undisclosed
- Troops.ai2022Undisclosed
Questions about Microsoft vs Salesforce
Who is the CEO of Microsoft Corporation and Salesforce, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella and Salesforce, Inc. is led by Marc Benioff. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Microsoft Corporation founded vs Salesforce, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 24 years before Salesforce, Inc., which was founded in 1999. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Salesforce, Inc..
How many employees does Microsoft Corporation have compared to Salesforce, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000 people, while Salesforce, Inc. employs approximately 83,334. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Salesforce, Inc.'s 83,334. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Microsoft Corporation and Salesforce, Inc. headquartered?
Both Microsoft Corporation and Salesforce, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Microsoft Corporation and Salesforce, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen. Salesforce, Inc. was founded by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, Frank Dominguez.
Which company has a longer operating history — Microsoft Corporation or Salesforce, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Salesforce, Inc. has been in operation for around 27 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 Microsoft vs Salesforce overview