Microsoft Timeline By andersonrt 1975 Microsoft founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen Jun 25, 1981 Microsoft Incorporates Aug 12, 1981 IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0 Aug 12, 1981 IBM introduces its personal computer with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0 Mar 13, 1986 Microsoft stock goes public Mar 13, 1986 Microsoft stock goes public Aug 24, 1995 Microsoft launches Windows 95 Jan 13, 2000 Steve Ballmer named president and chief executive officer for Microsoft May 31, 2001 Microsoft launches Office XP Nov 15, 2001 Microsoft launches Xbox Nov 10, 2010 Microsoft launches Windows Phone 7 Jun 24, 2014 Microsoft launches Surface Pro 3