Not Apple, not Microsoft, some say IBM most valuable company of all time

Advertisement
By NDTV Correspondent | Updated: 21 August 2012 14:35 IST
Not Apple, not Microsoft, some say IBM most valuable company of all time
Apple had the Internet buzzing Monday when it claimed the title of the most valuable company of all time. Apple's surging stock propelled the company's value to $624 billion, beating the record for market capitalisation set by Microsoft in the heady days of the Internet boom. Microsoft's 1999 peak was $620.58 billion, according to Standard & Poor's.

However, comparisons to Microsoft, and others, do not take inflation into account. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the Redmond-based software giant was worth around $856 billion on Dec. 30, 1999. Which means Apple has the best part of another $225 billion dollars to add to its market cap before it can overtake Microsoft. Of course, by the time Apple adds that amount, the inflation-adjusted value of Microsoft as on Dec. 30, 1999 would have gone even higher (or lower, depending upon inflation data). In other words, it's a moving target that cannot have a fixed dollar value.

There's another reason why Apple fans shouldn't look at Microsoft's inflation-adjusted value as the number to overtake - it is not the highest inflation-adjusted market capitalisation value recorded by a public-listed company. That number belongs to IBM.

The blog Columbia Journalism Review says IBM's 1967 value of $193 billion is worth around $1.3 trillion in today's money. That means Apple's Monday market cap is not even half of IBM's value back then, after adjusting for inflation.

So what number should you believe? Is IBM the most valuable company of all time, or does the crown belong to Apple? At the end of the day, these are just numbers and titles with little impact on the day to day activities of any of the companies involved. In absolute terms, Apple made history on Monday, while relatively speaking IBM is, of course, way ahead. Let's end the debate and enjoy the innovations that these companies bring to the market.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Realme 15 Pro 5G to Get 50-Megapixel Sony IMX896 Main Rear Camera
  2. OnePlus 13 Series Gets AI-Powered Plus Mind Feature With Latest Update
  3. WhatsApp Makes it Easier to Chat With Support, Adds AI-Powered Responses
  4. Samsung Galaxy F36 5G to Launch Soon in India: Details
  5. Grok Will Now Let You Chat With a Goth Anime Girl That Has an NSFW Mode
  6. Up to 70 Percent Discount on Headphones During Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025
  7. iQOO Z10R With 32-Megapixel Selfie Camera to Launch in India on This Date
  8. Realme C71 5G Launched in India With 6,300mAh Battery: See Price
  1. Global Smartphone Market Grew 1 Percent YoY in Q2 2025; Samsung, Vivo Witness Biggest Jump in Shipments: IDC
  2. LG OLED evo and QNED evo TVs With Alpha AI Processor Gen2 Launched in India: Price, Specifications
  3. Realme C71 5G Launched in India With 6,300mAh Battery, Reverse Charging Support
  4. iQOO Z10R Confirmed to Launch in India on July 24 With 32-Megapixel Selfie Camera
  5. Motorola Razr 60 Swarovski Edition With Crystal-Studded Design Said to Launch Soon
  6. Anthropic’s Claude Can Now Connect With Notion, Canva and Figma to Complete Tasks
  7. WhatsApp Adds Dedicated Support Chat With AI-Powered Responses on iOS
  8. Chinese Android Phone Brands Said to Be Testing Under-Display Cameras and 3D Face Unlock
  9. Realme 15 Pro 5G to Get 50-Megapixel Sony IMX896 Main Rear Camera
  10. Elon Musk’s Grok Adds AI Companion Feature That Includes an NSFW Mode for Animated Avatars
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.