We often tell stories with words, trying to choose just the right ones to describe what we’re doing or how we’re doing it. But sometimes, it’s numbers that can give us a clearer picture.
Today we’re rolling out our new Microsoft by the Numbers site to highlight some cool facts that numbers show best. We’ve tallied some of the ways Microsoft is helping people all over the planet achieve more each day — and we’re keeping tabs on some less momentous stuff, too. Like lunch. More on that in a bit.
First, did you know Skype Translator can translate your voice calls in six different languages and your instant messages in 50 of them? That means people around the globe can not only connect but truly communicate, hopping over language barriers of the past to talk to each other in real time.
And did you know more than 1.5 million young people from more than 190 countries have competed in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup?
That’s a huge number of tech-minded kids and young adults who’ve gotten to learn from Microsoft experts and vie for cash prizes as they work to turn creative ideas into the next big thing.
How about the fact that five Microsoft researchers have won the A.M. Turing Award, a.k.a. the “Nobel Prize of computing?” 
That number may just show what we already know: Microsoft Research scientists and engineers are top-notch in making product advances as well as helping solve global challenges.
You can also find out how many orders of French fries Microsoft employees put away each year in campus cafeterias — it’s pretty impressive — and other quirky things we’ve quantified.
We’ve crunched the numbers. See for yourself how they help tell Microsoft’s story.