Microsoft vs Smartsheet: Founders, CEOs and History
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella. Smartsheet was founded in 2005 by Brent Frei, Mark Mader, Eric Browne and is led by Rajeev Singh.
Company facts
Microsoft
- Founded
- 1975
- Headquarters
- Redmond, Washington, United States
- Current CEO
- Satya Nadella
- Employees
- 223,000
Smartsheet
- Founded
- 2005
- Headquarters
- Bellevue, Washington, USA
- Current CEO
- Rajeev Singh
- Employees
- 3,300
Founders
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.
Smartsheet
Brent Frei
Brent Frei co-founded Smartsheet in 2005 in Bellevue, Washington, after founding Onyx Software, a CRM vendor he took public. He led Smartsheet in its first year before Mark Mader became CEO in 2006, and later served on the board. Brent Frei was born in 1966.
Mark Mader
Mark Mader joined Smartsheet as CEO in 2006, a year after its founding, and is counted among its founding team.
Eric Browne
Eric Browne co-founded Smartsheet in 2005. Providing absolutely critical early technical leadership, he helped design the platform's initial architecture, heavily focusing on ensuring the cloud-based application could instantly sync massive spreadsheets across…
John Creason
John Creason co-founded Smartsheet in 2005. Working closely with the technical founding team, he played a massive role in building the early prototype.
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
Smartsheet
- Brent Frei2005–2006
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
As the visionary Co-Founder (who previously founded Onyx Software), he provided the massive initial capital and strategic direction to launch the company.
Source - Mark Mader2006–2025
Chief Executive Officer & President
As Co-Founder and CEO, he navigated the company through its difficult early years, guided its highly successful IPO, and established it as a dominant player against aggressive rivals.
Source - Rajeev Singh2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
As a highly experienced tech executive and board member, he provides absolutely critical guidance on scaling enterprise SaaS operations.
Source - Sunny Gupta2025–2025
Executive Chair and Acting CEO
As an influential board member and enterprise CEO, he advises on highly complex enterprise sales strategies.
Source
Timeline: Microsoft and Smartsheet 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.
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.
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.
2005Smartsheet
Smartsheet founded in Bellevue, Washington: Brent Frei and a small founding team start Smartsheet to make spreadsheets collaborative.
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.
2014Smartsheet
Series E Funding
Smartsheet raised $35 million in a Series E round led by Sutter Hill Ventures in May 2014.
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.
2017Smartsheet
Series F Funding
Smartsheet raised $52 million in a round led by Insight Venture Partners in 2017.
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.
2018Smartsheet
NYSE IPO (SMAR): Smartsheet lists on the NYSE at $15 per share, raising about $150 million.
2018Smartsheet
Acquired Converse.AI
Smartsheet acquired Converse.AI. Smartsheet acquired chatbot and automation startup Converse.AI in 2018; terms were not disclosed.
2019Smartsheet
10,000ft and Slope Acquired
Smartsheet bought the resource-management company 10,000ft and the collaboration company Slope in 2019.
2020Smartsheet
Brandfolder acquired for about $155 million: Adds digital asset management to Smartsheet workflows.
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.
2024Smartsheet
Passes $1 billion in ARR: Smartsheet crosses $1 billion in annualized recurring revenue in fiscal 2024.
2025Smartsheet
Blackstone and Vista complete $8.4 billion buyout: The take-private closes on January 22, 2025, and SMAR is delisted.
2025Smartsheet
Rajeev Singh named CEO: Singh succeeds acting CEO Sunny Gupta after Mark Mader's retirement.
Acquisitions
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- TakeLessons2021Undisclosed
- Clipchamp2021Undisclosed
- GitHub2018$7.5B
Smartsheet
- Brandfolder Inc.2020$155M
- 10,000ft (Resource Planning)2019Undisclosed
- Converse.AI2018Undisclosed
Questions about Microsoft vs Smartsheet
Who is the CEO of Microsoft Corporation and Smartsheet?
Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella and Smartsheet is led by Rajeev Singh. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Microsoft Corporation founded vs Smartsheet?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 30 years before Smartsheet, which was founded in 2005. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Smartsheet.
How many employees does Microsoft Corporation have compared to Smartsheet?
Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000 people, while Smartsheet employs approximately 3,300. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Smartsheet's 3,300. 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 Smartsheet headquartered?
Both Microsoft Corporation and Smartsheet are headquartered in United States. Their local rules and tax obligations may still differ.
Who founded Microsoft Corporation and Smartsheet?
Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen. Smartsheet was founded by Brent Frei, Mark Mader, Eric Browne, John Creason.
Which company has a longer operating history — Microsoft Corporation or Smartsheet?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Smartsheet has been in operation for around 21 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 Smartsheet overview