By Danny Vena
Publication Date: 2026-01-11 00:00:00
Key Points
A lot has changed in 20 years, including the biggest drivers of U.S. economic activity. For example, to kick off 2006, industrial bellwether General Electric and energy stalwart ExxonMobil were the two largest publicly traded companies in the country in terms of market cap, valued at $370 billion and $349 billion, respectively. Things are much different in 2026, and technology companies — particularly those at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) — top the charts. In fact, of the world’s 10 most valuable companies (as of this writing), nine are arguably leaders in the field of AI.
Only four companies have earned membership in the ultra-exclusive $3 trillion club, and each is a powerhouse in its respective field. AI chipmaker Nvidia heads the list at $4.5 trillion (as of this writing), while search leader Alphabet recently vaulted into the No. 2 position at $3.9 trillion. iPhone maker Apple slipped to No. 3 with $3.8 trillion, while software and cloud provider Microsoft comes in at No. 4 with $3.5 trillion.
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Yet, their positions on the list will likely change over the next several years, and a new batch of triple trillionaires will likely join the fold. I predict that Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) — each worth roughly $1.6…
