How Microsoft Made Over 150 Acquisitions In 20 Years

When Microsoft buys other companies, it makes a big splash.

This is because the company spends billions of dollars to enter completely new markets, block rivals, and change how millions of people use technology.

Using the timeline records from Microsoft Investor Relations, the visualization above maps every Microsoft acquisition from 2006 to August 2026.

A key insight is that the tech giant completed more than 150 acquisitions over two decades, under two CEOs, and amid several major transformations of its core business.

Microsoft made more than 150 acquisitions between 2006 and 2026, with no single year recording zero deals except 2024.
Activision Blizzard, acquired for approximately $68.7 billion, is the largest deal by far.
2015 and 2018 were the peak years for volume, with about 17 acquisitions each.

Activision Blizzard stands apart from the rest of the record.

Microsoft announced the acquisition in January 2022 and completed it in October 2023 after a multi-year regulatory battle involving the US Federal Trade Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

The price was approximately $68.7 billion. It’s the largest acquisition in gaming history and the largest in Microsoft’s history.