‘Market cap is the total value you get when you multiply a company’s share price by the number of its shares—it’s like adding up every sticker price on a store’s shelves. It gives you a quick sense of which companies are biggest and most influential.
Right now, tech giants rule the leaderboard, but energy producers and diversified conglomerates also claim top spots. Let’s take a tour of the world’s ten largest publicly traded companies by market cap as of mid-2025.
1. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)
- Market Cap: $3.55 trillion
- Sector: Technology
- Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA
Microsoft reclaimed the top spot in June 2025, fueled by its expanding cloud-computing business (Azure), enterprise software subscriptions, and growing AI investments. The company’s Intelligent Cloud segment grew revenue 28% year-over-year in Q1 2025, underscoring robust enterprise demand.
2. Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
- Market Cap: $3.51 trillion
- Sector: Semiconductors
- Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, USA
Nvidia trails Microsoft by just $40 billion, driven by its market-leading GPUs powering artificial intelligence workloads and data centers. The stock’s meteoric rise this year reflects surging demand for AI training chips—reaching a $3.687 trillion valuation in some screens.
3. Apple Inc. (AAPL)
- Market Cap: $3.00 trillion
- Sector: Technology
- Headquarters: Cupertino, California, USA
Apple remains the quintessential consumer-tech juggernaut, backed by iPhone sales, service revenues (App Store, iCloud), and its growing wearables business. Its $3 trillion market cap underscores the brand’s enduring pricing power and shareholder loyalty.
4. Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
- Market Cap: $2.23 trillion
- Sector: Consumer Discretionary (E-commerce & Cloud)
- Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, USA
Amazon’s AWS cloud division and e-commerce dominance keep it firmly in the top 5. AWS alone accounts for nearly 60% of Amazon’s operating income, justifying its $2.23 trillion valuation despite narrower retail margins.
5. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
- Market Cap: $2.03 trillion
- Sector: Communication Services
- Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA
Alphabet (Google’s parent) rounds out the “Magnificent Five” U.S. tech leaders. Ad revenue growth, YouTube monetization, and cloud services propelled it past the $2 trillion milestone in early 2025.
6. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
- Market Cap: $1.585 trillion
- Sector: Technology (Social Media)
- Headquarters: Menlo Park, California, USA
Meta’s turnaround from last year’s ad-spend slump hinges on AI-driven feed improvements and cost controls. Its $1.585 trillion market cap reflects renewed investor confidence in Facebook, Instagram and the nascent metaverse business.
7. Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)
- Market Cap: $1.599 trillion
- Sector: Energy (Oil & Gas)
- Headquarters: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
The world’s largest oil producer secured a top-10 ranking thanks to sustained oil prices near $80–$90 per barrel and strong free cash flow. Its $1.599 trillion valuation underscores the ongoing importance of energy majors in the global economy.
8. Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)
- Market Cap: $1.222 trillion
- Sector: Semiconductors
- Headquarters: Irvine, California, USA
Broadcom’s diversified chipset portfolio—spanning networking, storage and wireless—supports its $1.22 trillion market cap. Strategic acquisitions and high margins have helped it outpace many peers in the semiconductor group.
9. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)
- Market Cap: $1.054 trillion
- Sector: Semiconductors (Foundry)
- Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan
TSMC, the leading contract chipmaker for Nvidia, Apple and others, crossed the $1 trillion threshold in early 2025. Advanced 3 nm and 2 nm nodes command premium pricing, reinforcing its dominant foundry market share.
10. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)
- Market Cap: $1.097 trillion
- Sector: Diversified Financials & Conglomerate
- Headquarters: Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Warren Buffett’s conglomerate—spanning insurance, railroads, utilities and consumer brands—remains the only non-tech U.S. company in the top 10. Its disciplined capital allocation and cash hoard underpin its $1.097 trillion market cap.
Why tech companies dominate
- Network effects: Platforms like Windows, AWS and Google Search become more valuable as user and developer bases grow.
- Scalable models: Software and cloud services scale globally with relatively low incremental cost.
- High margins: Tech firms often generate operating margins above 25%, compared to 5–15% in commodity sectors.
The role of energy and diversified groups
While technology accounts for 7 of the top 10, energy (Saudi Aramco) and conglomerates (Berkshire Hathaway) illustrate that cash flow and asset bases still drive massive valuations in capital-intensive industries.
Key takeaways
- Diversification and capital discipline keep Berkshire Hathaway among the world’s most valuable firms.
- The Big Five U.S. tech giants—Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple, Amazon and Alphabet—control nearly $15 trillion in combined market value.
- Asia’s TSMC highlights the importance of global semiconductor supply chains.
- Energy stalwarts like Saudi Aramco can crack the top 10 during periods of strong oil prices.
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