Companies | What Apple is worth in real life

On December 12, 1980, Apple’s stock market adventure began. Its market value is now 30,000 times higher than the original issue of 100.4 million US. With its profits, Apple could finance the Videotron Center… in one day. The Press had fun finding comparisons to better understand what the billions that revolve around Apple really represent.

It took a lot of imagination to predict that the computer manufacturer that Apple was 43 years ago was going to be the first company in history to cross the 1000 billion US mark in 2018, 2000 billion in 2020, then 3 trillion in 2023. On Friday, the company became the first in the world to pass this milestone when markets closed. This rise to the top, we have illustrated it in animation, by compiling the five most important stock market valuations since 1980. Here is the result.

Market capitalizations, from 1980 to 2023

In 1980, the multinationals ExxonMobil, General Electric and Coca-Cola dominate. It is necessary to wait until 1998 to see a techno company durably at the controls, Microsoft. It was not until 2009, two years after the launch of the iPhone, that Apple appeared in the top 5 stock market valuations, of which it will take the lead in 2011 almost without interruption until today.

With a market value of 2759 billion US on May 26, 2023, the date used for our compilation, Apple is worth as much as all the companies listed in the table below.

If Apple was a country

On the world stage, what would a market valuation of 2759 billion US correspond to, if we juxtapose it with all the goods and services produced in a country in a year? Sure, we’re comparing apples and oranges here, but exercise is fun. Apple could enter the G8, nearly tied for gross domestic product with France, significantly outclassing Italy and Canada.

Some ideas for spending your profits

According to its latest annual report, Apple posted profits of US$99.8 billion (CAN133.4 billion) for the fiscal year ending September 24, 2022. At this rate, here’s how long Apple could fund the following projects or expenses… if the company finds it in their interest.