Top 10 Largest Companies in the World
The global economy is dominated by multinational corporations with staggering market capitalizations. These companies, which operate in diverse industries ... read more...ranging from technology to energy, have a significant impact on the world economy and continue to shape the future of business. In this article, Toplist has compiled a list of the largest companies in the world.
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Apple Inc. is a multinational American technology business with its main office in Cupertino, California. By revenue, Apple will be the biggest technology firm in 2022 with US$394.3 billion in sales. Apple will have the largest market value as of March 2023. Apple is the second-largest maker of mobile phones and the fourth-largest vendor of personal computers as of June 2022. Along with Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft, it is one of the Big Five US IT firms.
Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, and Ronald Wayne established Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, to develop and market Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. Jobs and Wozniak established Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977. The Apple II, the company's second computer, became a best-seller and one of the first mass-produced microcomputers. Apple went public in 1980 and quickly became a commercial success. The business created computers with innovative graphical user interfaces, including the original Macintosh, which debuted in 1984 in a highly acclaimed advertisement. By 1985, the high expense of its products, as well as power struggles among executives, were causing problems. Wozniak left Apple amicably and moved on to other endeavors, while Jobs bitterly left Apple and started NeXT, taking some personnel from Apple with him.
During the 1990s, Apple's market share declined as Microsoft Windows on Intel-powered PC clones became more popular due to their lower price. In 1997, Apple bought NeXT to improve its operating system strategy and bring Steve Jobs back to the company. Jobs successfully led Apple to profitability over the next decade by introducing innovative products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, along with memorable advertising campaigns, the Apple Store retail chain, and acquiring new companies to expand its product portfolio.
In August 2018, Apple became the first publicly traded U.S. company valued at over $1 trillion, reaching $2 trillion in August 2020, and $3 trillion in January 2022. As of January 2023, its value is around $2.2 trillion. Despite criticism regarding its labor practices, environmental practices, and business ethics, Apple has a strong following and high brand loyalty, and is ranked among the world's most valuable brands.
Founded: 1976
Headquarter: Cupertino, California, U.S.
Website: https://apple.com
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Microsoft Corporation is a multinational technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft is one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. The company's primary business is the development, licensing, and support of software, hardware, and related services.
In recent years, Microsoft has made significant investments in artificial intelligence (AI), developing a wide range of AI-powered products and services. These include Cortana, a virtual assistant that uses natural language processing and machine learning to help users manage their daily tasks, as well as a range of AI-powered productivity tools such as PowerPoint Designer and Excel Insights.
Microsoft also offers a variety of AI services for developers, including the Azure Machine Learning platform, which provides a suite of tools for building, training, and deploying machine learning models, and the Microsoft Bot Framework, which allows developers to create intelligent chatbots that can interact with users using natural language.
Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 as part of a partnership that made Microsoft Azure OpenAI's exclusive cloud provider, and in January 2023, it announced a new multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI. According to Brad Sills of Bank of America, Microsoft is attempting to reinvent its Bing search engine by incorporating both the OpenAI model and its own proprietary Prometheus model. According to analyst Justin Post, Microsoft Bing is unlikely to eat into Google's search market share, but Microsoft is leading the charge in AI-enabled enterprise use cases. MSFT stock, which closed at $256.87 on March 6, has a "buy" rating and a $300 price target from Bank of America.Founded: 1975
Headquarter: Redmond, Washington, USA
Website: https://microsoft.com
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Saudi Aramco, formally known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Group (previously Arabian-American Oil business), or simply Aramco, is a publicly traded Saudi Arabian oil and gas business with its headquarters in Dhahran. It ranks among the top businesses in the world by revenue as of 2022 and consistently posts the highest annual profits in the annals of global business. With more than 270 billion barrels (43 billion cubic meters) of proven reserves, Saudi Aramco has the second-largest crude oil output per day among all oil-producing firms. Since 1965, no other business has contributed more to the world's carbon emissions than it.
The Master Gas System, operated by Saudi Aramco, is the world's biggest single hydrocarbon network. It handles over one hundred oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia, including 288.4 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of natural gas reserves, and its crude oil output totaled 3.4 billion barrels (540 million cubic meters) in 2013. Saudi Aramco runs the Ghawar Field (the world's largest onshore oil field) and the Safaniya Field (the world's largest offshore oil field) in the Eastern Province.
The company's shares started trading on the Tadawul stock market on December 18, 2019. The market capitalization of the shares increased to 35.2 Saudi riyals, or approximately US$1.88 trillion, on the second trading day, surpassing the US$2 trillion threshold. Saudi Aramco was ranked as the third-largest public company in the globe in the 2022 Forbes Global 2000. Saudi Aramco has a market capitalization of $1.923 trillion as of April 2023. This places Saudi Aramco at the top of our ranking of the world's largest companies by market capitalization.
Founded: 1933
Headquarter: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Website: https://aramco.com
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Alphabet Inc. is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mountain View, California. The company was formed in 2015 as a restructuring of Google, and it operates as the parent company of several subsidiaries, including Google, Waymo, and DeepMind.
Google, the company's largest subsidiary, has long been a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), developing numerous AI-powered products and services. These include Google Assistant, a virtual assistant that uses natural language processing and machine learning to interact with users, as well as a range of AI-powered products such as Google Translate and Google Photos.
Alphabet also has a significant presence in the field of autonomous vehicles, with its subsidiary Waymo developing self-driving car technology that uses AI to analyze and respond to real-world driving conditions. Additionally, DeepMind, another Alphabet subsidiary, is a leading player in the field of AI research, developing cutting-edge technologies for a range of applications, including healthcare, robotics, and gaming.
Alphabet, the parent company of Google and YouTube, uses AI and automation in almost every aspect of its business, from ad pricing to content promotion to Gmail spam filters. Some Alphabet investors were alarmed by the integration of ChatGPT into Microsoft's Bing, but analyst Justin believes Google has a bright AI future after investing heavily in AI technology for several years. Google has vast data resources, and its DeepMind Technologies subsidiary is solely dedicated to AI technology. According to Post, investors can expect more Google AI product visibility in the coming months.Founded: 2015
Headquarter: Mountain View, California, USA
Website: https://abc.xyz
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Amazon.com, Inc. is a US-based multinational technology company that specializes in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is considered one of the world's most valuable brands and is part of the Big Five American information technology companies. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, Amazon started as an online marketplace for books and is now known as The Everything Store due to its vast array of product categories. It owns numerous subsidiaries, including Amazon Web Services, Zoox, Kuiper Systems, Amazon Lab126, Ring, Twitch, IMDb, and Whole Foods Market.
Amazon is renowned for disrupting established industries through innovation and reinvestment of profits. It is the world's largest online retailer, cloud computing provider, smart speaker provider, and live-streaming service, and has over 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers globally. In addition to retail, Amazon distributes downloadable and streaming content, publishes books, and produces film and television content, and consumer electronics. However, the company has faced criticism for its customer data collection practices, work culture, tax avoidance, and anti-competitive behavior.Amazon has a market capitalization of $1.074 trillion as of April 2023. As a result, Amazon is ranked as the fifth-most valuable company in the globe by market capitalization.
Founded: 1994
Headquarter: Seattle, Washington and Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Website: https://amazon.com
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NVIDIA is a leading American technology company that specializes in designing and manufacturing advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) and related technologies. In recent years, the company has expanded its focus to include artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, becoming a major player in these fields. NVIDIA's GPUs are widely used in the field of AI, powering many of the world's most advanced machine learning systems. The company's GPU-accelerated computing platform, NVIDIA CUDA, provides developers with a powerful toolset for building and training deep neural networks, enabling them to develop more accurate and efficient AI models.
In addition to its hardware offerings, NVIDIA also offers a range of AI software solutions, including NVIDIA TensorRT, a deep learning inference optimizer, and NVIDIA DIGITS, a deep learning training system. The company also offers a variety of AI-related services, including consulting and support, to help organizations get the most out of their AI investments.
NVIDIA, a high-end chipmaker, provides the massive processing power required to run advanced AI applications. According to analyst Vivek Arya, Nvidia's dominant position in the supercomputer graphics processing unit (GPU) market places it at the forefront of the semiconductor AI arms race. According to Arya, Nvidia's dominance in the high-performance-systems markets suggests that it could have significant growth opportunities in the hyperscaler market. According to Arya, generative AI could help Nvidia earn $14 per share and generate more than $80 billion in revenue by 2027.Founded: 1993
Headquarter: Santa Clara, California, USA
Website: https://nvidia.com
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American multinational conglomerate holding firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has its main office in Omaha, Nebraska. Insurance is its primary line of work and source of funding, and it invests the float (retained premiums) in a diverse range of subsidiaries, equity holdings, and other securities. Warren Buffett, the company's chairman and CEO since 1965, and Charlie Munger, the vice chairman since 1978, are renowned for their support of value investing ideas. Under their leadership, the company's book value has increased by 20% on average, compared to 10% for the S&P 500 index over the same time span when dividends were taken into account while using significant amounts of capital and little debt.
GEICO, a car insurer, and General Re, a reinsurance firm, are among the company's insurance brands. Its non-insurance companies work in a variety of industries, including confectionery, retail, railroads, home furnishings, machinery, jewelry, apparel, electrical power, and natural gas delivery. Pilot Flying J (80%), Kraft Heinz Company (26.7%), American Express (18.8%), Bank of America (11.9%), The Coca-Cola Company (9.32%), and Apple (5.57%) are among its partially owned companies.
Berkshire Hathaway ranks seventh in the S&P 500 index and first in the Forbes Global 2000, which considers both market value and fundamental statistics. The business is one of the largest privately held American companies in the United States. Because Buffett chooses not to split the stock, its class A shares have the highest per-share price of any public business in the world, hitting $500,000 in March 2022.
Founded:
- As a textile manufacturing company in 1839; 184 years ago
- As a holding company in 1970; 53 years ago
Headquarter: Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Website: https://berkshirehathaway.com
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Tesla, Inc. is a multinational American corporation based in Austin, Texas. It creates electric vehicles, battery energy storage systems, solar panels, and other related goods and services. As of 2023, Tesla is the world's most valuable automaker and one of the world's most valuable companies. In 2021, Tesla captured a significant share of the battery-electric and plug-in electric vehicle markets. Through its subsidiary Tesla Energy, it is also a major installer of photovoltaic systems in the United States and one of the largest global suppliers of battery energy storage systems.
The company was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning as Tesla Motors and named after inventor Nikola Tesla. Elon Musk became the largest shareholder in February 2004 and has served as CEO since 2008. Tesla began producing electric cars in 2008, starting with the Roadster sports car. Since then, it has released several car models, including the Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and Tesla Semi truck. Its Model 3 is the all-time bestselling plug-in electric car worldwide, having sold 1 million units globally by June 2021. Tesla's 2022 full-year deliveries were around 1.31 million vehicles, and cumulative sales totaled 3 million cars as of August 2022.
Tesla has been the subject of lawsuits, government scrutiny, journalistic criticism, and public controversies related to CEO Elon Musk's statements and acts, as well as allegations of whistleblower retaliation, worker rights violations, and defects with its products. Nonetheless, the company has achieved significant success in the electric vehicle and clean energy markets and has a market capitalization of over $1 trillion as of October 2021.Founded: 2003
Headquarter: Austin, Texas, USA
Website: https://tesla.com
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The American multinational technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Inc., doing business as Meta and formerly known as Facebook, Inc. and TheFacebook, Inc., is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The business, among other things, is the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. One of the most valuable businesses in the world, Meta is also one of the top ten biggest American publicly traded companies. Along with Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, it is regarded as one of the Big Five American technology firms.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Meta Quest are among Meta's offerings. It owns a 9.99% stake in Jio Platforms and has purchased Oculus, Mapillary, CTRL-Labs, Kustomer, and Oculus. The business sold advertising to bring in 97.5% of its revenue in 2021.In order to "reflect its focus on building the metaverse," the parent company of Facebook changed its name from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. on October 28, 2021. The integrated environment that connects all of the company's goods and services is referred to by Meta as the "metaverse."
With nearly $86 billion in revenue, Facebook placed 34th on the 2020 Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations in the United States. The majority originates from advertising. According to one analysis of 2017 statistics, the business earned US$20.21 per user from advertising. According to New York, Meta has allegedly lost $500 billion since its rebranding as a result of new privacy measures implemented by companies such as Apple and Google, which prevent Meta from gathering user data.
Founded: 2004
Headquarter: Menlo Park, California, U.S.
Website: https://meta.com
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Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is a medical device, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods multinational corporation established in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and it is placed 36th on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the biggest companies in the United States by total revenue. Johnson & Johnson is one of the most valuable businesses in the world, and one of only two US-based companies with a prime credit rating of AAA, which is higher than the US government.
Johnson & Johnson's corporate headquarters are in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with the consumer business in Skillman, New Jersey. The corporation has approximately 250 subsidiary companies operating in 60 nations and selling products in over 175 countries. The consumer division of Johnson & Johnson is situated in Skillman, New Jersey, while the company's headquarters are in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The company has about 250 subsidiary businesses that operate in 60 countries and sell their goods in more than 175 nations. During the 2021 calendar year, Johnson & Johnson had $93.8 billion in global revenue.
The companies owned by Johnson & Johnson include many well-known prescription drugs and first aid products. The Band-Aid Brand brand of bandages, Tylenol medicines, Johnson's Baby products, Neutrogena skin and beauty products, Clean & Clear facial wash, and Acuvue contact lenses are just a few of its well-known consumer goods. Janssen Pharmaceuticals is the pharmaceutical division of Johnson & Johnson.Three main business areas make up the company's operations: pharmaceuticals, medical technology, and consumer health. These three divisions each provided a certain percentage of the company's total revenues in 2020: 55%, 28%, and 17%. In November 2021, the company announced a split into two publicly traded companies, one focused on consumer goods and the other on pharmaceuticals and medical technologies.
Johnson & Johnson has established several positive goals to keep the business environmentally friendly, and it was rated third among the largest companies in the United States in Newsweek's "Green Rankings." Some examples include reduced water, waste, and energy consumption, as well as improved transparency. Johnson & Johnson decided to alter its packaging of plastic bottles used in the manufacturing process, switching to non-polyvinyl chloride containers for liquids. The corporation is collaborating with the Climate Northwest Initiative and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Performance Track initiative. Johnson & Johnson, a member of the National Green Power Partnership, runs the biggest solar power generator in Pennsylvania at its Fort Washington, Pennsylvania facility.
Founded: 1886
Headquarter: New Brunswick, NJ, USA
Website: https://www.jnj.com