Microsoft Excel turned 40 and almost nobody noticed - world's most popular spreadsheet now faces tough competition from Google Sheets after crushing Lotus 1-2-3 and Borland Quattro Pro

Microsoft Excel has quietly reached its 40th anniversary, evolving from a simple spreadsheet tool to a dominant business software that crushed competitors like Lotus 1-2-3 and Borland Quattro Pro through its early graphical interface and Windows integration. However, Google Sheets now threatens Excel's longtime market leadership by offering free, cloud-based collaboration that appeals to younger users, forcing Microsoft to enhance Excel with AI features and web capabilities to maintain its position.