Skip to content
Brief
Microsoft

Microsoft

TechnologyBig Techmicrosoft.com

Microsoft is a technology company whose online advertising platform, Microsoft Advertising, enables advertisers to bid for ad placements across the web.

Last updated Oct 7, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment · Connections updated Oct 14, 2026

Founded
1975
HQ
Redmond, Washington, United States
Connections
477

AI-drafted from public sources151 sources cited

At a glance

Employees
200000+
Funding
public
Revenue
$200B+
Stock
MSFT
218integrations14competitors24corporate family9partners3acquisitions

About

One of the world's largest technology companies and a major player in digital advertising, operating the second-largest search advertising platform globally through Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft is a technology company whose online advertising platform, Microsoft Advertising, enables advertisers to bid for ad placements across the web. The platform delivers pay-per-click advertising across search engines including Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo, as well as on websites, mobile apps, and video. Ads can also appear on Microsoft-owned properties such as MSN, Outlook.com, and LinkedIn. A LinkedIn integration allows marketers to target users by job title and company, making it a notable tool for account-based marketing and audience segmentation. Like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising ranks ads using a combination of maximum bid and click-through rate, encouraging advertisers to serve relevant, effective ads. In May 2025, Microsoft confirmed it would shut down its Invest DSP (formerly Xandr), citing a strategic shift toward AI-driven, personalized advertising suited to a conversational and agentic world as the reason the existing DSP model no longer aligned with its investment priorities. Source 1: wikipedia.org — Microsoft Advertising Source 2: invoca.com — The 2026 Guide to Microsoft Advertising (Formerly Bing Ads)

Business model

Diversified Technology (SaaS, Advertising, Cloud, Licensing)

Target market

Enterprise, SMB, Mid-Market, Consumers

What they offer

  • Microsoft Advertising

    Pay-per-click advertising platform enabling ad placements across Bing, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, MSN, Outlook.com, LinkedIn, mobile apps, and video

  • Microsoft Azure

    Cloud computing platform offering infrastructure, AI, and developer services

  • Microsoft 365

    Productivity suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook

  • LinkedIn

    Professional social network and B2B marketing platform with advertising and recruitment tools

  • Bing

    Microsoft's search engine, serving as a primary channel for search advertising

  • MSN

    Web portal and content platform where Microsoft Advertising placements appear

  • Xbox / Gaming

    Gaming ecosystem including console, PC, and cloud gaming with advertising opportunities

  • Copilot

    AI-powered assistant integrated across Microsoft products, representing the company's push into conversational and agentic AI experiences

Key features

Search advertising across Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGoLinkedIn professional audience targeting by job title, company, and industryDisplay, native, and video advertising across Microsoft propertiesAI-powered ad optimization and audience segmentationAccount-based marketing (ABM) capabilities via LinkedIn integrationAuction-based ad ranking combining maximum bid and click-through rateUniversal Event Tracking for conversion measurementSmart campaigns for automated ad management

Use cases

Search advertising for lead generation and e-commerceB2B account-based marketing using LinkedIn audience dataRetargeting and audience segmentation across Microsoft propertiesDisplay and native advertising on MSN and Outlook.comVideo advertising campaignsSMB self-serve advertising via Smart Campaigns

Customer segments

Enterprise advertisersSMBsB2B marketersE-commerce brandsPerformance marketersMedia agencies

Tech & specs

Technology stack

Azure cloud infrastructureAI and machine learning (Copilot, Azure AI)Bing search technologyLinkedIn data platformUniversal Event TrackingMicrosoft Advertising API

Security & compliance

GDPRCCPASOC 2ISO 27001

Deployment

Cloud

API

Yes

Corporate history
  1. 1975 · Founded
How it came together
  • 2016·Acquired → Microsoft↗
  • 2019·Shut down → Microsoft↗
See the full lineage →
Connection details
View Microsoft’s full portfolio (24) See alternatives to Microsoft See integrations with Microsoft (218) See Microsoft’s partners (9) See people at Microsoft (8) See acquisitions by Microsoft (3)

Explore further

3 views