Only a few days ago we learned that Apple had become the first American company to be valued at a trillion dollars. So we asked ourselves, what are the most powerful technology companies in the world? To find out, we turned to the Forbes list, famous for its rankings of the richest men in the world.
We have analyzed the list of the largest public companies in the world by filtering the ones that are related to technology. After thinking about it, we have ruled out telecommunications companies, leaving only manufacturers or companies that have a strong link to technology, such as Amazon. The economic data is from June 2018. So here are the 10 most powerful technology companies in the world .
1 - Apple
In the first position of the list of the most powerful technology companies in the world (not in the general classification) we have Apple. At the time of listing, the North American company had a market value of $ 926.9 billion . It had revenues of $ 247.53 trillion and earnings of $ 53.32 trillion.
The company was founded by Steve Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak in 1976. It has 123,000 employees and is headquartered in Cupertino, California. In the general classification of the Forbes list, it is in 8th position .
2 - Samsung
Following Apple we have its main competitor in the smartphone market. Its market value was 325.9 billion dollars . Its revenues amounted to 224.64 billion dollars, with profits of 40.99 billion dollars.
The South Korean company was founded in January 1969, has 93,200 employees and its headquarters are in Suwon, South Korea. In the general ranking of the Forbes list it is in position 14 .
3 - Microsoft
Third on the list of the world's most powerful technology companies is Microsoft. Its market value was $ 750.6 trillion . The company had revenues of $ 103.31 billion, with profits of $ 14.21 billion.
Microsoft was founded by William Henry Gates III (Bill Gates) in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. It has 124,000 employees and is ranked 20th on Forbes' list of the world's largest public companies.
4 - Alphabet (Google)
Alphabet is the name given to the company that brings together all Google products and services. Its market value amounted to 766.4 billion dollars . The company had revenues of 117.88 billion, with profits of 16.64 billion.
The Alphabet company as such is very new. It was founded by Lawrence E. Page and Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin in 2015. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with 80,110 employees. Its position in the general ranking of Forbes is 23 .
5 - Intel
At the middle of our list of the world's most powerful technology companies is Intel. The well-known processor maker had a market value of $ 254.8 billion . Its income amounted to 64.03 billion, with profits of 11.09 billion dollars.
Intel was founded by Robert Norton Noyce and Gordon Earle Moore in 1968. Its headquarters are in Santa Clara, California. It has no fewer than 102,700 employees and ranks 49th on the Forbes list of top companies.
6 - Siemens
In sixth position we have Siemens. Although at the level of private users it no longer has much prominence, the truth is that it is still one of the most important companies at an industrial level. The German company had a market value of $ 112.5 billion . It had revenues of 94.47 billion dollars, with benefits of 7.14 billion dollars.
Siemens was founded by Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske in 1847. Its headquarters are in Munich, Germany. It has no less than 372,000 employees and is ranked number 51 on the Forbes list of the world's most important companies.
7 - Amazon
The online sales giant could not be absent from the list of the most powerful technology companies in the world. Amazon had a market value of $ 777.8 trillion . Its income amounted to 193.19 billion and its profits to 3.94 billion dollars.
Amazon was founded by Jeffrey P. Bezos in 1994. Its headquarters are in Seattle and it has 566,000 employees. On the Forbes list of the world's largest public companies, it ranks number 53 .
8 - IBM
In 8th position we have a classic in technology companies. IBM had a market value of $ 132.3 trillion , with revenues of $ 80.06 trillion and profits of $ 5.68 trillion.
IBM was founded in 1911 as the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation as a result of the merger of four companies. It was not until 1924 when it adopted the name IBM (International Business Machines). It has 397,800 employees and its headquarters are in Armonk, New York. In the general classification of the world's largest public companies, it occupies position number 67 .
9 - Facebook
In 9th position on the list of the most powerful technology companies in the world we have Facebook. The well-known social network had a market value of 541.5 billion dollars in June 2018. Its revenues amounted to 44.59 billion, with profits of 17.85 billion dollars.
Facebook was founded by Mark Elliot Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris R. Hughes, Andrew McCollum, and Eduardo P. Saverin in 2004. Its headquarters are in Menlo Park, California. It has 25,105 employees and is ranked 77th on the Forbes list of the world's largest public companies.
10 - Sony
Closes the list in 10th position Sony. The Japanese company had a market value in June 2018 of $ 59.9 trillion . Its revenue amounted to 77.09 billion, with profits of 4.43 billion dollars.
Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka in 1946. Its headquarters are in Tokyo and the company has 14,124 employees. It ranks 86th on the Forbes list of the world's largest public companies .
And so far our list of the most powerful technology companies in the world .
Some curiosities
Although we have focused on technology companies, from the Forbes list we can get some curious facts. For example, the first 3 positions are held by banks or investment firms. The first Spanish company to appear on the list is Banco Santander , in position number 31 .
On the other hand, the first Spanish company somewhat related to technology is Telefónica . It ranks 123rd on the list, with a market value of $ 51.1 trillion and profits of $ 3.4 trillion.
Other Spanish companies included in the list are BBVA, Iberdrola, Repsol, Inditex, Caixabank, Gas Natural, ACS or Mapfre, among others. Of the top 10 on the list, 5 are Chinese companies and the other 5 are North American.
Source | Forbes