Our list includes the largest technology companies from various areas of the digital industry such as software, hardware, media, e-commerce, telecommunications, and others. The rating is relevant for January 31, 2022.
The ranking is based on the market capitalization of the digital giants. However, in this article, you will also find the shortlist of the top twenty technology companies ranked by revenue and number of employees.
Most people think that the best technology companies are based in the US. However, in recent years, several Asian companies have made their way to the top ten in technology. See for yourself...
Top 10 largest technology companies in the world in 2022
1. Apple
Apple is the largest technology company in terms of market capitalization at $2.780 trillion. It is also the most profitable digital company in the world with annual revenue of $379 billion.
Recently, Apple was considered the world's most valuable company among all industries until Saudi Aramco entered the list in 2019, pushing the digital giant to second place.
Apple has millions of loyal fans around the world who are willing to stand in great ranks in terms of Apple's top-tier products. This is definitely a significant achievement that makes it one of the most successful and admired brands of all time.
The company was founded on April 1, 1976, by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Jobs. Initially, they started manufacturing home computers and proprietary PC models. However, their biggest success was the introduction of iPhone smartphones and iPad tablets to the world, which made Apple one of the richest companies of all time.
Today, the range of Apple products is wide and includes smartwatches, computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more.
Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, California, USA.
2. Microsoft
Microsoft is the second most valuable tech company today, due to its market capitalization of more than $2 trillion. It is also one of the most expensive companies and brands in the world.
The internationally known company was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. They proposed to use software packages for home computers to make the PC experience simple, user-friendly, and intuitive. And so the Windows operating system was born. It brought Microsoft incredible success and huge profits.
Since then, the company has diversified its services and expanded its markets. Today, Microsoft offers operating systems for computers, servers, phones, smart devices, as well as productivity apps, business solution apps, management and development tools, games, and more.
In addition, Microsoft has recently changed its area of interest slightly. The company is now focusing on innovative technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing and is trying to become a leader in this field.
The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA.
3. Alphabet Inc. / Google
Probably almost all Internet users have heard of Google at least once.
However, some may not know that the internationally known Internet giant changed its official name to Alphabet Inc. in 2015. At that time, the company was already outside the scope of the Google search engine.
Today, more than 30 popular service providers and companies are part of Alphabet Holding.
In addition, the conglomerate owns many interesting side projects, such as the life-extension company Calico or the smart home project Nest. Not to mention the Android operating system. Alphabet also owns the Google Venture division, which invests in startups, as well as Google Capital for long-term projects. No wonder Alphabet is one of the most trusted high-tech companies in the world.
The conglomerate was founded in 1993 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Its headquarters are located in Mountain View, California, USA.
4. Amazon Inc.
Amazon ranks fourth in our market value rating. It also has the highest number of employees in the technology sector.
In addition, Amazon is one of the companies with the most expensive shares. The price of an Amazon share is more than $2,790.
Some may say that Amazon is more of a retail seller than a tech company. Fair enough. Still, it has a computer division that generates about 15% of its revenue annually. And let's not forget that the company's main product is its online shopping service.
You've probably also heard of the Amazon Web Service cloud computing platform. It helps startups, businesses, government agencies, and academic institutions build any kind of business online by providing them with computing, storage, database, and other technical services.
It also has thousands of Alexa devices that have already found homes.
The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
5. Meta Platform Inc.
Facebook is one of the fastest-growing companies and one of the most expensive brands in the world. In fact, the market value of $839 billion is an astronomical indicator of the popularity of an Internet project.
Facebook was developed by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004.
The social network is currently visited by more than 2 billion people every day, which some say could be the limit of its global growth. Therefore, in recent years, the company has focused on a different growth path, especially acquisitions.
Today, Facebook Inc owns many other popular projects, including Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR.
Facebook is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, USA.
6. TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is a circuit manufacturer and the world's largest semiconductor foundry. Its products are used in the computer, communications, consumer electronics, automotive and industrial equipment industries.
It was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang and was one of the first companies in the world dedicated to semiconductor manufacturing. Over time, TSMC gained the title of a leader in this field.
The company's customers include Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom Inc, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. Even Intel, STMicroelectronics, and Texas Instruments outsource some of their products to TSMC. But the most important customer is definitely Apple.
The company owes its success to the win-win business model, where both parties receive benefits. TSMC takes over the design of chip manufacturers and creates the appropriate technology for them, as it has all the necessary equipment and works very well in terms of quality.
TSMC has subsidiaries in China, Singapore, and the U.S., as well as offices in Europe, India, and Japan.
Its headquarters are located in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
7. Nvidia
Nvidia is one of the world's graphics processor manufacturers, offering the fastest GPUs available for PCs, mobile devices, game consoles, workstations, etc.
The company had its first success in the computer gaming market. In 2000, it began its partnership with Microsoft in the development of graphics cards for the X-Box gaming console. Since then, the company has been consistently improving its products, expanding its product line, and setting new standards for interactive graphics.
Today, Nvidia is known in gaming, professional design, video editing, creative applications, AI, data centers, and other technology areas.
The company also offers SOCs (system on chips units). Nvidia's Tegra Processor division develops chips with GPUs and multi-core CPUs for autonomous robots, drones, medical instruments, AI, cryptocurrency mining, and self-driving cars.
In 2018, Nvidia partnered with Uber to develop the AI computing system for autonomous cars and expand the self-driving vehicle sector. That year, the company developed the world's first feature-rich self-driving platform, NVIDIA DRIVE.
The company was founded in 1993 by Jen- Hsun Huang, Curtis Priem, and Christopher Malachowsky. The headquarters are located in Santa Clara, California, USA.
8. Tencent
Founded in 1998, the Chinese giant is a venture company, a conglomerate, an investment holding, and one of the largest companies in the gaming industry with its "League of Legends", "Arena of Valor" and "Fortnite".
Its products include e-commerce platforms, social networks, web portals, payment systems, Internet services, mobile and multiplayer games, and smartphones, which are among the most successful in their categories.
Every day, more than a billion people actively use Tencent's online services.
Incidentally, the company recently won the right to exclusively distribute James Bond and Star Wars franchises in China.
The headquarters of Tencent Seafront Towers (also known as Tencent Binhai Mansion) is located in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen.
9. Samsung
Samsung is known worldwide as a consumer electronics manufacturer, although it is a huge private conglomerate that has a presence in various industries: from shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing to life insurance.
The company has three technology divisions: Consumer Electronics, Information Technology & Mobile Communications, and Device Solutions.
We should also note that Samsung, with its Galaxy smartphones and tablets, has been Apple's biggest rival in the mobile market so far. In recent years, most of Samsung's revenue (about 40%) was related to smartphones.
The company was founded in 1938 in South Korea. In 1969, Sanyo merged with Samsung, which resulted in the Samsung Group. In 1983, the company began producing PCs. From 1991 to 1992, it completed the development of its first cell phone line.
Samsung is headquartered in Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, Republic of South Korea.
10. Alibaba Group
Alibaba is one of the largest virtual trading platforms in China and the world. It attracts the attention of buyers both through affordable prices and a wide range of presented goods.
Founded on April 4, 1999, the company provides consumer, business-consumer, and business services through web portals, as well as electronic payment and cloud computing services and an advanced search system for customers. Not to mention digital media and entertainment.
The company's Ant Financial subsidiary has quickly become one of the most successful fintech companies in the world.
And if growth continues, Alibaba could potentially even displace Amazon from its positions.
The headquarters are located in Hangzhou, China.
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