There are various ways to determine the largest corporations in the world, the most authoritative rating of Forbes Global 2000 determines the place of the company by integral indicator. At the same time, there are ratings for other indicators, including the level of capitalization. The proposed list of the largest corporations in the world contains the most expensive of them.
1. Apple inc.
The corporation is in the top of various ratings, despite the scandals of recent years associated with the deliberate slowdown of the old smartphone models. Litigation continues to go on in many countries of the world. Apple is still in first place among the world's largest corporations by capitalization, which also leads in brand value.
The market value of the company on August 1, 2018 exceeded $ 1 trillion, this is the first company in the world to achieve such a value.
The company was founded in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and Steve Jobs, who had previously sold several hand-built computers of their own design. The company was the first in the world to mass-produce personal computers. In total, more than 5 million PCs of the first model were sold - Apple II. Then the company offered the market a number of pilot gadgets, releasing the first smartphones and tablet computers. Which determined the success of the corporation in the global market. Today, Apple is in the top ten among the largest corporations in the world, in almost any rankings.
2. Alphabet Inc.
The corporation, you can say, is only three years old, before that it was known to everyone as Google. Sometimes the company, though not for long, overtakes Apple in terms of market capitalization. The first time in February 2016 was a leader in just two days. It has been recognized more than once by the largest media corporation in the world, overtaking such monsters of the film industry as the Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox.
The company's capitalization is $ 782.68 billion.
In 1996, Larry Page and Sergey Brin carried out a research project to develop a search engine, which they called BackRub. In search of funding, they turned to Andy Bechtolsheim (Sun Microsystems). During the presentation, he said that everything was very interesting, but I was in a hurry and wrote a check in the amount of $ 100 thousand to Google Incorporated. To get the investment, they had to register such a company. Google is the wrong spelling of googol (a number of one and one hundred zeros). In addition to the search engine, the holding offers many more popular services, including Android and YouTube. In recent years, Alphabet Inc. has invested in companies manufacturing Motorola and HTC mobile devices.
3. Microsoft
One of the largest multinational software corporations in the world. A pioneer and an absolute global monopolist - most computers in the world use the Windows operating system.
The company's capitalization amounted to $ 681.58 billion.
In 1975, Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed Microsoft, a software company. In 1985, in collaboration with IBM, Microsoft Windows was developed, which made Gates one of the richest people in the world. The company was the first to offer a package of user programs that made using a computer easy and straightforward. In addition to software, the corporation produces mobile devices, accessories, audio and office equipment, game consoles. In recent years, Microsoft has been investing in companies developing computer games and cloud technologies.
4. Amazon Inc.
Literally before our eyes, a small company selling books via the Internet has become a global online platform offering a wide range of everyday goods. In 2018, the founder of the company, Jeff Bezos, became the richest man on the planet with a fortune of $ 139.6 billion.
The company's value is $ 628.78 billion.
A small company was opened in 1994 with an initial investment of $ 300 thousand. Bezos named the company after a river in Latin America. Since 1998, the company began to expand the range. Music books and video products were added to the books. Soon, the assortment consisted of 34 product groups. Amazon Inc. also invests in the production of organic products, space technology and robots.
5. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
The name of the company does not say anything to most ordinary people, in contrast to the widely publicized owner Warren Buffett, who has repeatedly been called the best investor in the world. Among the largest corporations in the world, it has the highest cost per share: approximately $ 315, 225.
The company currently costs $ 518.55 billion.
The corporation, founded in 1929, was engaged in the production of cotton fabrics. By 1960, Buffett gained control of the company. In those years, the textile industry fell into a period of crisis and began to disqualify its activities. Several insurance companies were bought by the owner, now the corporation takes the second place in the insurance market.
Recent major transactions: in 2010, a railway company was bought for $ 44 billion, in 2015, an aircraft engine manufacturer was bought for $ 31.7 billion.
In addition, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. provides services in the field of public utilities, produces a large range of industrial products and consumer goods. In 2015, more than 40, 000 people attended the annual joint-stock meeting, for which the event was called "Woodstock for Capitalists."
6. Facebook
Scandals associated with a massive leak of personal data continue to put pressure on one of the most powerful corporations in the world. In March this year, for two days in March, the founder of the largest social network, Mark Zuckerberg, lost $ 8.1bn, and the company's value decreased by 36.7 billion. The Move your Facebook account, which is joined by more and more famous people, including Ilon Mask and Brian, is gaining momentum Acton, creator of the WhatsApp messenger.
The company's capitalization is $ 518.37 billion.
The site was developed by Zuckerberg for students at Harvard University, which was then gradually opened to all American students, and since 2006 for all comers over 16 years old. 1, 968 billion people use the social network per month, advertising revenue exceeds $ 8 billion. Facebook also owns popular Instagram and WhatsApp services.
7. Johnson & Johnson
The company is familiar to many thanks to the annoying advertising of products for children. It produces products related to pharmaceuticals, medicine and hygiene under dozens of brands. It is a leader in the production of medical equipment.
The company's value is $ 394.54 billion.
Although the company is called Johnson & Johnson, it was founded in 1887 by three representatives of the Johnson family - brothers Robert, James and Edward. They were engaged in the production of dressings and adhesive, a little later they began to produce baby powder. As part of one of the largest corporations in the world, there are about 250 enterprises in many countries around the world engaged in the production of medicines, hygiene products and medical equipment. In 2012, a Swiss manufacturer of orthopedic equipment was bought for $ 19.7 billion and Johnson & Johnson became the world leader in this market segment.
