To mark its 50th anniversary, Microsoft is taking a bold leap into the past while celebrating the future of development with “The Original Build”, a fully immersive, retro-themed activation debuting at the annual Build 2025 conference. Created in collaboration with Assembly and Missing Pieces, the experience honors the company’s origins while reigniting the pioneering spirit of the self-taught developer.
This isn’t just another tech booth. Instead, it’s a meticulously recreated 1970s-style workspace that transports developers to 1975 — the year Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft. Inside this immersive space, visitors are invited to step into the shoes of Microsoft’s earliest creators, engage in hands-on coding challenges, and reflect on their own beginnings as builders and problem-solvers.
At the heart of the experience are "sleeper PCs" — vintage Altair 8800 shells retrofitted with modern hardware powered by Altair-Duino Pro 3.0, and connected to Microsoft Azure and Copilot. Participants navigate timed coding tasks using these hybrid machines. Those who complete the full sequence are rewarded with a personalized, vintage-style Microsoft employee badge, earning them a place on a live leaderboard as honorary “originals.”
The activation is packed with Easter eggs for eagle-eyed visitors — from a mysterious phone call with a top developer to hidden historical artifacts like 1970s recruitment documents and rare behind-the-scenes photos of Bill and Paul. A forgotten film from Microsoft’s archives is also unlocked for those who complete key coding tasks.
The campaign is rooted in a celebration of self-taught developers, tapping into the cultural fascination with nostalgia while reinforcing Microsoft’s longstanding relationship with the dev community. The design pays tribute to the early days of coding, with ASCII art, period-correct furniture, retro interfaces, and even wardrobe pieces curated for authenticity.
A dedicated creator content zone allows influencers and executives to share their origin stories, with a possible guest appearance from CEO Satya Nadella. A custom “sleeper PC” build by Linus Tech Tips, the YouTube tech influencer with over 16 million followers, adds influencer-powered flair to the space.
Attendees can also grab exclusive 70s-inspired merchandise, including velour tracksuits, trucker caps, iron-on patches, and branded tote bags — further amplifying the nostalgia-fueled buzz.
For those unable to attend in person, Microsoft has reimagined the activation digitally via a GitHub takeover. The platform’s repository system has been transformed into a retro-style text-adventure game, complete with custom ASCII animations and interactive coding challenges, delivering a one-of-a-kind online brand experience.
“The Original Build” is more than a tribute to Microsoft’s past — it’s a strategic brand moment that deepens the emotional connection with a new generation of developers. By blending storytelling, interactivity, and cultural relevance, Microsoft reminds us that even the most iconic tech giants started with a spark of curiosity and a garage full of ambition.
As the company celebrates 50 years of innovation, this immersive activation ensures the next 50 are just as imaginative, bold, and developer-driven.
