Microsoft has become one of the world’s biggest companies over the years. However, despite all the time Microsoft has spent in the spotlight, there are still some things that many people don’t know. Here, we present our list of 40 things you didn’t know about Microsoft. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for parts two through four, coming soon!
Number Forty: Before There Was Microsoft, There Was Traf-O-Data. The founders of Microsoft are Bill Gates and Paul Allen, but before they made Microsoft, they made Traf-O-Data – a business that produced a computer to process data surrounding web traffic.
Number Thirty-Nine: Their Software Engineers Are Handsomely Paid. Microsoft’s software engineers are known as “softies,” and they have an impressive starting salary of $106,000 (as of 2014).
Number Thirty-Eight: Bill Gates Is a Genius. Gates’ IQ is believed to be 160, although some experts have estimated it’s 170. An IQ higher than 140 qualifies someone as a genius, so clearly, Gates fits the bill.
Number Thirty-Seven: The Company’s CEO Is the Most Powerful Indian-Born Tech Executive in the World. Microsoft’s CEO is Satya Nadella, and according to Reuters, he is indeed the world’s most powerful Indian-born tech executive.
Number Thirty-Six: Your X-Box Controller Scans Your Skeleton. If you have a Kinect, then you’re familiar with the fact that it’s a motion-sensing X-box controller. In order to sense this motion, the controller scans users’ skeletons. Creepy!
Number Thirty-Five: They Might Have an Underground Bunker. The Microsoft Surface team is known to be extremely secretive, and they sometimes work behind the company’s Studio B building, It is rumored that some doors protected by security guards there might lead to an underground bunker.
Number Thirty-Four: There’s a Shortcut to Underline Something Twice. You might be familiar with the “Ctrl-U” shortcut to underline something once, but did you know that pressing “Ctrl-Shift-D” will underline something twice? Now you do!
Number Thirty-Three: Gates and Allen Were Hired in High School. While still in high school, Bill Gates and Paul Allen were able to hack the Computer Center Corporation’s security system. Because of their work, they were offered official jobs to “find bugs and weaknesses” in the security system.
Number Thirty-Two: It Could Have Been Micro-Soft. Gates and Allen included a hyphen in the company’s name until 1981.
Number Thirty-One: Melinda Gates Worked on One of Microsoft’s Worst Products Before Marrying Bill. Before she married Bill Gates, Melinda actually worked on software called Bob, which was designed to be a user-friendly interface for Windows 3.1. However, it ended up failing miserably.