Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is the second-richest person in the world, worth an estimated $96 billion, thanks to the success of his software company. And while his wealth is an extreme example, if you had bet on Microsoft in its early days in the mid-1980s, your gamble would have paid off big time, too.
A $1,000 investment in Microsoft on the day of its initial public offering, or IPO, on March 13, 1986, would be worth more than $1.6 million today, according to CNBC calculations. That includes price appreciation and dividends.
