Microsoft Corporation - Printed Signature of William "Bill" H. Gates III - Specimen Certificate
Inv# GS5608 Specimen Stock
Specimen Stock Certificate. Rust paperclip stain at back. Does not affect the front. Printed by Security-Columbian United States Bank Note Corporation.Â
Microsoft Corporation is a leading American multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the firm has been instrumental in the widespread adoption of personal computers, largely due to its software offerings like Windows. Over time, Microsoft has expanded its business to encompass internet services, cloud computing, video gaming, and various other industries. It is recognized as the largest software manufacturer, ranks among the most valuable publicly traded companies in the United States, and is acknowledged as one of the most valuable brands globally. The company was co-founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, initially aiming to create and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. By the mid-1980s, Microsoft had secured a leading position in the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS, followed by the launch of Windows. From 1980 to 2021, Microsoft introduced nine versions of MS-DOS, averaging a release every two years, and thirteen versions of Windows, with an average release interval of three years.
The company's initial public offering (IPO) in 1986 and the subsequent rise in its stock price led to the creation of three billionaires and around 12,000 millionaires among its workforce. Since the 1990s, Microsoft has increasingly expanded its focus beyond operating systems. Steve Ballmer took over as CEO from Gates in 2000 and managed significant corporate acquisitions, including Skype Technologies in 2011, while also placing greater emphasis on hardware, culminating in the introduction of its first in-house PC line, the Surface, in 2012, and the formation of Microsoft Mobile through its acquisition of Nokia. Under the leadership of Satya Nadella, who became CEO in 2014, the company has redirected its focus towards cloud computing and made a major acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016.
Stock and Bond Specimens are made and usually retained by a printer as a record of the contract with a client, generally with manuscript contract notes such as the quantity printed. Specimens are sometimes produced for use by the printing company's sales team as examples of the firm’s products. These are usually marked "Specimen" and have no serial numbers.
Ebay ID: labarre_galleries