On April 4, 2025, Microsoft Corporation will celebrate its 50th anniversary, marking a significant milestone since its founding on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. In recognition of this anniversary, Bill Gates made a historic announcement by releasing the source code for Altair BASIC, which he described as “the best code I ever wrote.”
During the event, Gates reflected on the early days of Microsoft and emphasized the importance of Altair BASIC, stating that it represented the beginning of the company. In a blog post, he noted, “Before there was Office, Windows 95, Xbox, or AI, there was Altair BASIC. In 1975, Paul Allen and I founded Microsoft with the vision of a computer on every desk and in every home.”
Gates acknowledged the impactful contributions of various leaders throughout Microsoft’s history, including Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella, while celebrating the company’s continuous innovation over five decades. He stated, “To achieve this in 50 years is a tremendous achievement, and we couldn’t have done it without outstanding leaders and everyone who has dedicated their lives to Microsoft over the years.”
The inspiration for the Altair BASIC project came from the January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics magazine, which featured the Altair 8800 computer on its cover. This prompted Gates and Allen to approach MITS, the manufacturer of the Altair 8800, to develop a BASIC compiler for the computer. After months of development, Altair BASIC was successfully created, allowing users to write their own programs easily. It was the first product launched by the newly established company, initially named Micro-Soft before dropping the hyphen. The complete 157-page source code for Altair BASIC is now available for download and printing in PDF format.