Microsoft vs Zoom: Founders, CEOs and History
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella. Zoom was founded in 2011 by Eric Yuan and is led by Eric Yuan.
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.
Zoom
Eric Yuan
Eric S. Yuan founded Zoom in 2011 and has been its CEO ever since. He took the company public in 2019, led it through the 2020 remote-work surge and the security fixes that followed, and has since pushed it into phone, contact center and AI products.
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
Zoom
- Eric Yuan2011–present
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Has led Zoom from startup to a company with about $5 billion in annual revenue, and is now pushing growth through Enterprise sales and AI products.
Source - Michelle Chang2024–present
Chief Financial Officer
Joined from Microsoft, where she had been CFO of Microsoft Teams, and became Zoom's CFO on October 7, 2024, succeeding Kelly Steckelberg.
Source
Timeline: Microsoft and Zoom 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.
2011Zoom
Zoom founded
Eric Yuan founded Zoom in San Jose after leaving Cisco Webex.
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.
2019Zoom
Nasdaq IPO
Zoom listed on Nasdaq as ZM.
2020Zoom
Remote-work surge
Usage soared during the pandemic, and Zoom ran a 90-day security overhaul.
2021Zoom
Five9 deal ends
Five9 shareholders rejected Zoom's all-stock acquisition offer.
2022Zoom
Zoom Contact Center launched
Zoom launched its own contact-center product.
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.
2024Zoom
Renamed Zoom Communications
The company dropped "Video" from its legal name in November 2024.
2026Zoom
Common Room deal and Q2 fiscal 2027 results
Zoom agreed to buy Common Room in July and reported Q2 revenue of $1.277 billion in August.
Acquisitions
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- GitHub2018$7.5B
- LinkedIn2016$26.2B
Zoom
- Common Room2026Undisclosed
- BrightHire2025Undisclosed
- Workvivo2023Undisclosed
- Keybase2020Undisclosed
Questions about Microsoft vs Zoom
Who is the CEO of Microsoft Corporation and Zoom Communications, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella and Zoom Communications, Inc. is led by Eric Yuan. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Microsoft Corporation founded vs Zoom Communications, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 36 years before Zoom Communications, Inc., which was founded in 2011. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Zoom Communications, Inc..
How many employees does Microsoft Corporation have compared to Zoom Communications, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000 people, while Zoom Communications, Inc. employs approximately 7,400. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Zoom Communications, Inc.'s 7,400. 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 Zoom Communications, Inc. headquartered?
Both Microsoft Corporation and Zoom Communications, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Microsoft Corporation and Zoom Communications, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen. Zoom Communications, Inc. was founded by Eric Yuan.
Which company has a longer operating history — Microsoft Corporation or Zoom Communications, Inc.?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Zoom Communications, Inc. has been in operation for around 15 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 Zoom overview