This special edition of the GeekWire Podcast is the first in a four-episode series that we’ll be publishing in the months ahead as part of our year-long Microsoft @ 50 project, recognizing the company’s 50th anniversary in April 2025.
On this episode, we’ll take a fresh look at Microsoft’s startup story with tech historian and author Margaret O’Mara of the University of Washington, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America; plus highlights from a recent conversation with David Marquardt, Microsoft’s first outside investor and a longtime board member.
Register here for our Microsoft @ 50 event, March 20, 2025, in Seattle.
Microsoft @ 50 is an independent GeekWire editorial project supported by Accenture.
With GeekWire Co-Founder Todd Bishop. Edited by Curt Milton.

What we learned about Microsoft in the OpenAI trial, and is Seattle squandering its edge?
31:53

Inside the 2026 GeekWire Awards: Innovators reshaping how we work, build, and learn
48:42

Elon takes the stand, Big Tech drops big numbers, and a small VC gets in on a billion-dollar deal
42:26