Microsoft vs Wiz: Founders, CEOs and History
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella. Wiz was founded in 2020 by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak and is led by Assaf Rappaport.
Company facts
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.
Wiz
Assaf Rappaport
Assaf Rappaport is co-founder and CEO of Wiz. He led the company's fundraising from its $100 million Series A in 2020 to its $1 billion round at a $12 billion valuation in 2024, declined Google's $23 billion offer in July 2024, and then agreed to the $32 billi…
Yinon Costica
Yinon Costica is co-founder and VP of Product at Wiz, responsible for the product direction of the platform across cloud posture, code security, and runtime protection.
Ami Luttwak
Ami Luttwak is co-founder and CTO of Wiz. He oversees technology and is a public face of the Wiz Research team, which has disclosed cloud vulnerabilities including ChaosDB, OMIGOD, and ExtraReplica.
Roy Reznik
Roy Reznik is co-founder and VP of R&D at Wiz, leading engineering. In October 2024 he told CNBC that Wiz had reached $500 million in ARR and aimed to double it in 2025.
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
Wiz
- Assaf Rappaport2020–present
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Leads Wiz's strategy and led the company through its funding rounds and the sale to Alphabet.
Source - Dali Rajic2024–present
President and Chief Operating Officer
Appointed in February 2024 to run go-to-market and operations as Wiz scaled toward $1 billion in ARR.
Source
Timeline: Microsoft and Wiz 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.
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.
2020Wiz
Founding and Series A
Founded in January; raised a $100 million Series A in December.
2021Wiz
Series B and C
Raised $250 million across a Series B at a $1.7 billion valuation, then $250 million in October at a $6 billion valuation.
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.
2023Wiz
Series D
Raised $300 million in February at a $10 billion valuation.
2024Wiz
Series E, acquisitions, and declined Google offer
Raised $1 billion at $12 billion in May, bought Gem Security and Dazz, and declined Google's $23 billion offer in July.
2025Wiz
Alphabet agreement and U.S. clearance
Agreed to a $32 billion sale to Alphabet in March; the deal cleared U.S. antitrust review in November.
2026Wiz
EU approval and closing
European Commission approved the deal unconditionally in February; it closed on March 11.
Acquisitions
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- GitHub2018$7.5B
- LinkedIn2016$26.2B
Questions about Microsoft vs Wiz
Who is the CEO of Microsoft Corporation and Wiz, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella and Wiz, Inc. is led by Assaf Rappaport. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Microsoft Corporation founded vs Wiz, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 45 years before Wiz, Inc., which was founded in 2020. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Wiz, Inc..
How many employees does Microsoft Corporation have compared to Wiz, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000 people, while Wiz, Inc. employs approximately 1,800. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Wiz, Inc.'s 1,800. 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 Wiz, Inc. headquartered?
Both Microsoft Corporation and Wiz, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Microsoft Corporation and Wiz, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen. Wiz, Inc. was founded by Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak, Roy Reznik.
Which company has a longer operating history — Microsoft Corporation or Wiz, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Wiz, Inc. has been in operation for around 6 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 Wiz overview