MicroSoft

Microsoft's ambitions are anything but small. The world's #1 software company provides a variety of products and services, including its Windows operating systems and Office software suite. The company has expanded into markets such as video game consoles, server and storage software, and digital music players. Microsoft has reached settlements to end a slew of antitrust investigations and lawsuits, including agreeing to uniformly license its operating systems and allowing manufacturers to include competing software with Windows. In 2008 Microsoft made repeated efforts to acquire Yahoo! but was rebuffed by that company's board of directors.

NetLogic Microsystem

NetLogic Microsystems' chips logically address the content of the Internet. The company designs and sells what it calls knowledge-based processors, which are used in routers and other devices to optimize speed and search capabilities over the Internet. NetLogic's customers include networking giants Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco (50% of sales, including Cisco's contract manufacturers), Huawei Technologies, and Juniper Networks. The fabless semiconductor company was founded by former CEO Norman Godinho (who owns 14% of the company) and CTO Varad Srinivasan. NetLogic gets more than half of its sales outside the US.