Microsoft Reports First-Ever Quarterly Loss: $492 Million

Microsoft on Thursday reported the first quarterly net loss in the company’s entire 37-year-history at $492 million, despite earning record quarterly revenue of $18 billion. That’s because goodwill impairment clocked in at a record $6.19 billion, that’s the amount Microsoft is paying to write down almost all of the acqusition of online advertising firm aQuantive back in 2007, which “did not accelerate growth to the degree anticipated,” as Microsoft said in a statement earlier in July. Still, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pointed out in a statement Thursday that the company is “fast approaching the most exciting launch season in Microsoft history,” the October 26 release of Windows 8.