Microsoft vs Zoho: Founders, CEOs and History
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella. Zoho was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas and is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey.
Company facts
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.
Zoho
Sridhar Vembu
Sridhar Vembu co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and led the company, renamed Zoho Corporation in 2009, as CEO until January 2025. He kept the company free of venture capital and promoted hiring and training in smaller towns, working from rural Tamil Nadu.
Tony Thomas
Tony Thomas co-founded AdventNet in 1996 and has remained with the company since. He leads Zoho's US business as CEO of Zoho US. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
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
Zoho
- Sridhar Vembu1996–2025
Co-founder; CEO 1996-2025, now Chief Scientist
Led the company from its founding as AdventNet until January 2025 and kept it free of outside capital; now focuses on research and AI.
Source - Tony Thomas1996–present
Co-founder and CEO, Zoho US
Co-founded AdventNet and leads Zoho's US business.
Source - Shailesh Kumar Davey2025–present
Co-founder and Group Chief Executive Officer
Co-founder who previously led engineering at ManageEngine; became group CEO in January 2025.
Source - Rajesh Ganesan2025–present
CEO, ManageEngine
Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
Source - Mani Vembu2025–present
CEO, Zoho.com
Leads the Zoho.com business applications division.
Source
Timeline: Microsoft and Zoho 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.
1996Zoho
AdventNet founded
Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas start a network management software company.
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.
2005Zoho
First Zoho Products Released
AdventNet released Zoho Writer, its first online office application, in 2005, followed by Zoho CRM.
2009Zoho
Renamed Zoho Corporation
The company takes the name of its online applications brand.
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.
2017Zoho
Zoho One Launched
Zoho launched Zoho One, a single subscription covering its business applications, in July 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.
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.
2025Zoho
CEO transition
Shailesh Kumar Davey becomes group CEO in January; Sridhar Vembu becomes chief scientist.
2025Zoho
Semiconductor fab plan shelved
Zoho suspends its planned $700 million compound semiconductor fab in May.
2025Zoho
Rajesh Ganesan becomes CEO
Rajesh Ganesan became CEO of Zoho in 2025. Leads the ManageEngine IT management division.
2026Zoho
UAE data centres open
Zoho opens data centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in January as part of an ~$27.2 million (AED 100 million) UAE investment.
2026Zoho
FY25 results filed
RoC filings show FY25 revenue of ~$1.43 billion (₹12,313 crore) and net profit of ~$370 million (₹3,191 crore).
Acquisitions
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- TakeLessons2021Undisclosed
- Clipchamp2021Undisclosed
- GitHub2018$7.5B
Zoho
- ASIMOV Robotics2025Undisclosed
- Yali Aerospace (strategic deep-tech investment)2024$3.6M
- ePoise Systems2019Undisclosed
Questions about Microsoft vs Zoho
Who is the CEO of Microsoft Corporation and Zoho?
Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella and Zoho is led by Shailesh Kumar Davey. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Microsoft Corporation founded vs Zoho?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 21 years before Zoho, which was founded in 1996. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Zoho.
How many employees does Microsoft Corporation have compared to Zoho?
Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000 people, while Zoho employs approximately 19,000. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Zoho's 19,000. 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 Zoho headquartered?
Microsoft Corporation is headquartered in United States and Zoho is headquartered in India. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Microsoft Corporation and Zoho?
Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen. Zoho was founded by Sridhar Vembu, Tony Thomas.
Which company has a longer operating history — Microsoft Corporation or Zoho?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Zoho has been in operation for around 30 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 Zoho overview