as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
highest market cap for a company from historical data
user
in common with many companies, microsoft has been engaging in share buyback programmes, where it buys its own shares in the market and then cancels them. it's often a more tax-efficient way to distribute profits to the shareholders than paying a dividend. so there were more microsoft shares in circulation in 1999 than there are now. see here for information.
assistant