If You Invested $1,000 In Microsoft When Windows 2.0 Was Launched, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT Windows operating system powers billions of notebooks, desktop computers, and other devices across the world. Windows' success and Microsoft's other services have propelled the company's market capitalization to $2.76 trillion today, making it the second-largest company in the world by market capitalization.

Windows 2.0 was one of Microsoft's major releases – it was rolled out 36 years ago today, on Dec. 9, 1987.

Microsoft introduced the ability to resize and overlap windows. It also allowed for desktop icons, keyboard shortcuts, and introduced 16-color graphics, marking several firsts for an operating system that would one day dominate the computer world.

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Post the release of Windows 2.0, Apple Inc. AAPL sued Microsoft for the overlapping windows future, accusing the company of violating its copyrights.

However, Microsoft emerged victorious in the end.

Windows 2.0 is also the last operating system version that ran only on floppy disks.

Now, let's look at how Microsoft stock has fared since the company launched Windows 2.0 36 years ago.

As you can see, Microsoft's share price, adjusted for rights shares, bonus shares, stock splits, and other corporate actions, was $0.321 on Dec. 9, 1987.

Microsoft's stock price today is $370.95, which is nearly 1,155 times the stock price 36 years ago.

If you had invested $1,000 in Microsoft stock on Dec. 9, 1987, today, you would have $1,154,956.

On the other hand, a similar investment in the Nasdaq index would be worth $47,483, and the S&P 500 worth $19,195.

A Future Powered By AI, Video Games, And More

Despite being early to the smartphone game than rivals Apple or Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google, Microsoft ended up losing its advantage and bowing out of the smartphone industry.

However, under Satya Nadella's leadership, Microsoft has made some important moves in the tech industry.

Its $13 billion investment in OpenAI could prove to be amongst one of the biggest blockbusters, with the future increasingly looking like it will have an element of artificial intelligence (AI) involved.

Microsoft has also made some big bets in other industries – its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard has finally come through after intense scrutiny by antitrust authorities around the world.

This gives Microsoft access to some of the best talent in the video game industry, apart from giving its Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, some much-needed ammunition to counter Sony Group Corp.'s SONY PlayStation.

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