Microsoft
The largest software company in the world: American, built on Windows and Office, and second only to Amazon in cloud infrastructure.
21 figures on Microsoft, drawn from 6 Modern MBA case studies.
The figures
US dollars4
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Market capitalization of the world's most valuable companies in 2024 | $3,015B | 2nd of 10 · top $3,358B | Why Ozempic is so expensive |
| Revenue, operating income and AI capital expenditure at the five companies funding the boom · Revenue | $294B | 4th of 5 · top $639B | Why the AI boom is the dot-com bubble again |
| Value of $1,000 invested in 2010 and held to 2019 | $5,195 | 5th of 7 · top $41,255 | Why self-checkout didn't replace cashiers |
| Revenue, operating income and AI capital expenditure at the five companies funding the boom · AI capital expenditure | −$80B | 3rd of 5 · worst −$125B | Why the AI boom is the dot-com bubble again |
Percentages16
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margins of technology companies against retailers, 2019 | 66% | 2nd of 10 · top 82% | Why self-checkout didn't replace cashiers |
| Annual operating margins of the leading tech companies · 2009 | 35% | 1st of 4 · top 35% | Why AI is just big data again |
| Annual operating margins of the leading tech companies · 2016 | 24% | 4th of 4 · top 45% | Why AI is just big data again |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2019 | 18% | 1st of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2018 | 16% | 2nd of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2017 | 12% | 3rd of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2013 | 10% | 4th of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2010 | 8% | 1st of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2016 | 6% | 5th of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2015 | 1% | 6th of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating margin of the two gaming divisions · 2014 | −4% | 7th of 7 · top 18% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2008 | −6% | 2nd of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2009 | −7% | 3rd of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2005 | −15% | 4th of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2006 | −30% | 5th of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
| Operating profit margin across the three gaming divisions · 2007 | −34% | 6th of 6 · top 8% | Why Xbox lost the console wars |
Durations1
| Against its own chart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration of chief executive searches at large companies, in months | 5.4 mo | 7th of 9 · top 13.5 mo | Why Chipotle got so much worse |
Case studies covering Microsoft
Case study — TechnologyWhy the AI boom is the dot-com bubble againDifferent technology, same house of cards — and this time the pump happened in private, where nothing is marked to market.10 min read
Case study — ServicesWhy Ozempic is so expensiveThe same two companies that quintupled the price of insulin now want obesity classified as a disease.16 min read
Case study — Food & beverageWhy Chipotle got so much worseA weekly staple became a byword for small portions and high prices in under ten years. Here is what broke.10 min read
Case study — Media & entertainmentWhy Xbox lost the console warsFrom defining a console generation to a distant third twice running, and the cause was never the hardware.10 min read
Case study — Retail & brandsWhy self-checkout didn't replace cashiersAmazon's cashierless store was a thousand people in India watching cameras. Every retailer copied it anyway.15 min read
Case study — TechnologyWhy AI is just big data againBig data was sold for a decade and produced nothing. The same players are running the identical playbook with AI.15 min read