Azure

Azure began in 2006 as the secret Red Dog project, backed by Ballmer outside the server division, and Intelligent Cloud earned $88 billion in fiscal 2023. Microsoft first called its name a dumb idea; Placek now values the brand near $100 billion. Lesson: back new bets outside the core business, pick a distinct name, and claim startup credits ($1,000 to $100,000+) before paying for infrastructure.