What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the largest companies in Silicon Valley? There's probably a good chance that some of the world's most popular tech, computer, and digital giants pop up, like Apple, Alphabet, and Meta, formerly Facebook, are the first that come to mind. But did you know that there are a host of other successful public companies within Silicon Valley that aren't part of the technology sector?
If you do, you can count Wells Fargo, Visa, and Chevron as major multinational corporations that are all headquartered in the Valley. And they aren't part of the Big Tech world. Let's look at the big six companies of Silicon Valley, incorporating three public tech companies and three that aren't. All data is current as of Feb. 5, 2022.
Key Takeaways
- Silicon Valley is generally known to be a technology hub because of the large concentration of tech companies.
- The area is also home to all sorts of corporate giants, including financial services and big energy.
- The six largest Silicon Valley firms consist of three tech firms—Apple, Alphabet (Google), and Meta (formerly Facebook)
- Visa, Wells Fargo, and Chevron are three of the largest non-tech companies in the region.
- Apple is the proverbial king with the largest market cap of them all.
1:05
What is Silicon Valley?
1. Apple
Apple (AAPL) is one of the most successful companies on the planet and makes its headquarters in Cupertino, Santa Clara County, right in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company has a market capitalization of $2.81 trillion and was the first American company whose market cap reached $1 trillion in August 2018. Its price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 28.7.
Apple designs, manufactures, and sells mobile devices, personal computers, and digital music players. It also sells related software, services, networking solutions, and digital content and applications.
The company's main products include the iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers—along with the operating system software and application software to run them. It became a player in the financial services field after launching the Apple Card in 2019. And in 2021, the company introduced the fifth generation of its entertainment streaming services Apple TV+.
2. Alphabet/Google
Alphabet (GOOGL) is the holding company of Google, the world's most widely used internet search engine. It is headquartered in Mountain View, in Santa Clara County. It has a market cap of $1.83 trillion, giving the company a P/E ratio of 25.5.
Since its inception, the company reached success on a massive scale and has business units that go beyond its search engine capabilities. It now offers a range of products and services across multiple screens and device types, from browsers like Chrome to phones like Android to the G Suite of cloud-based word-processing apps.
The company's biggest moneymaker is its offering of brand advertising and performance advertising. Google offers a self-serve platform for advertisers, agencies, and publishers, allowing them to power their digital marketing across desktop display, mobile, and video.
The name for Silicon Valley was first used in the 1970s. It was named after the silicon transistor, which is used in the manufacturing of all microprocessors.
3. Meta
Meta (META) is arguably the world's original social networking company and certainly one of the most successful. Based in Menlo Park, in San Mateo County (often known as the geographic center of the Valley), the company has a market cap of $645.4 billion and a P/E ratio of 17.2.
Facebook was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg as a college social networking website, but it has since expanded to allow any person above the age of 13 to create a social profile. The company boasts billions of users, connecting them through posts, messages, status updates, photo and video sharing, and notification updates.
The company's massive scale allows it to offer highly targeted advertising, resulting in billions of dollars in annual revenue and, of late, some controversy.
4. Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo (WFC) breaks the Silicon Valley mold in a couple of ways. For one thing, it wasn't born around the turn of the 21st century or even the 20th century. For another, its field isn't a technology company but a financial services firm.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo was founded in 1852—two years after California became a state. After a series of mergers with other regional banks on both coasts, it is now the third-largest bank in the United States in terms of assets. It is one of the largest U.S. banks by market cap, currently $218.9 billion. Its P/E ratio is 11.08.
Wells Fargo is technically a holding company that consists of four banking and financial services subsidiaries: consumer banking and lending, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management.
Although plagued by a series of consumer abuse scandals throughout the 2010s, resulting in billions in penalties, the financial institution still clocked $72 billion in revenues on its 2020 annual income statement.
$2.5 trillion
The combined net worth of Silicon Valley's billionaires.
5. Visa
Known for its ubiquitous credit cards, Visa (V) is another multinational financial services company based in Silicon Valley. Its headquarters are in the San Francisco Bay Area. Its market cap is $478.7 billion, and its current P/E ratio is 39.24.
Contrary to what most people think, Visa doesn't issue cards or extend lines of credit. Instead, it provides banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions with products (i.e., credit or debit cards) that they can offer to their customers. Technically speaking, it's a retail electronic payment network specializing in facilitating funds transfers through its credit card and debit card services.
6. Chevron
Chevron (CVX) is a bit of an outlier in our group, both figuratively (it's the only energy company) and literally, where its headquarters are in San Ramon, in Contra Costa County (a bit north of the Valley proper). The company has a market cap of $261.9 billion and a current P/E ratio of 16.5.
Like Wells Fargo, Chevron's roots trace back to the 19th century. Incorporated in 1906, it has grown from a small oil refiner into a multinational energy giant. Also, like Wells Fargo, Chevron is technically a holding company made up of upstream and downstream segments.
Upstream deals with crude oil and natural gas exploration and production. On the other hand, downstream involves the refining of crude oil into petroleum products and the subsequent marketing of them. These segments combine to give Chevron control of the entire supply chain of energy.
What Is the Biggest Company in Silicon Valley?
Apple is the largest company in Silicon Valley. The corporation has a market capitalization of almost $3 trillion and was the first American company whose market cap hit $1 trillion in August 2018.
What Is the Largest Industry in Silicon Valley?
Electronics and big tech is the largest industry in Silicon Valley. But it is also home to some other types of businesses, including big energy and financial services.
What Is Silicon Valley Known for?
Silicon Valley is known as being a hub for technology. Some of the most popular tech companies got their start there and still call it home. This includes companies like Meta, Apple, and Alphabet. The area is also home to some of the world's richest people, most notably tech billionaires.
Where Is Silicon Valley Located?
Silicon Valley is located in the San Francisco Bay area of California. Palo Alto, which is where Stanford University is located, is generally considered the area's intellectual hub.
FAQs
What companies are a part of Silicon Valley? ›
Silicon Valley is home to dozens of major technology, software, and internet companies. Some of the major companies in the region include Apple, Alphabet's Google, Chevron, Meta, (formerly Facebook), and Visa. It is one of the wealthiest regions in the world and one of the hottest real estate markets.
Which is the biggest IT company in world? ›The Big Four consists of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, with broader groupings also including Tesla, Meta, Twitter, and Netflix.
What are the big 5 tech companies called? ›In 2021, the Big Five tech giants—Apple, Amazon, Google (Alphabet), Meta, and Microsoft—generated a combined $1.4 trillion in revenue. What are the sources of this revenue, and how does it breakdown?
What Silicon Valley is famous for? ›The world's preeminent hub for technology, Silicon Valley is a byword for innovation. Today, it is home to the headquarters of many of the world's largest high-tech corporations, including more than thirty businesses in the Fortune 1000 as well as thousands of promising startups.
Why is Silicon Valley so successful? ›It is easy to build infrastructure facilitating similar businesses. Silicon Valley is a destination on its own. Starting a tech business in such an ambiance with an established business infrastructure, talented resource pool, and a flourishing marketplace provides a clear head start compared to other locations.
Which country is best for IT jobs? ›- USA. The United States of America is a pioneer in new technologies and has an economy that is highly dependent on IT. ...
- Germany. ...
- Finland. ...
- Singapore. ...
- Canada. ...
- Japan. ...
- The Netherland. ...
- The UK.
- Russia. ...
- United Kingdom. ...
- Singapore. ...
- Germany. Technological Expertise Rank: 5. ...
- United States. Technological Expertise Rank: 4. ...
- China. Technological Expertise Rank: 3. ...
- South Korea. Technological Expertise Rank: 2. ...
- Japan. Technological Expertise Rank: 1.
- Microsoft Corporation. ...
- IBM. ...
- Accenture. ...
- Oracle. ...
- SAP. ...
- TCS - Tata Consultancy Services. ...
- DXC. ...
- Delloite Consulting.
A quick overview of the firms
PwC is the largest by revenue and the most prestigious of the Big Four with a strong and established audit client base. Deloitte is just a fraction smaller than PwC.
Why Deloitte is the best Big 4? ›
They use the top technology better than the other Big 4, and the professional development is top notch. I've worked with employees of all the Big 4 accounting firms, and I've seen their techniques and methodologies first hand, and I feel that Deloitte is by the company that uses most common sense.
Why is Netflix in FAANG? ›Who coined the word FAANG? FAANG is a modification of the term FANG (Facebook Amazon Netflix Google). FANG is a term that was coined CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer in 2013.
What is the top 10 biggest company in the world? ›- #1 Walmart Inc. (WMT)
- #2 China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP)
- #3 Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
- #4 PetroChina Co. Ltd. (PTR)
- #5 Apple Inc. (AAPL)
- #6 CVS Health Corp. (CVS)
- #7 Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDS. A)
- #8 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK. A)
Company | Stock Symbol | Market Value |
---|---|---|
Apple | AAPL | $2.5 trillion |
Microsoft | MSFT | $2.0 trillion |
Alphabet | GOOG/GOOGL | $1.51 trillion |
Amazon.com | AMZN | $1.3 trillion |
Apple Inc.
Annual revenue: $386 bln. Employees: 154,000 people. Today, Apple is the most valuable company in the tech sector and in the world in terms of market cap, which is about 2,431 trillion dollars.
Bloomberg released its annual Richest Places index. The Silicon Valley neighborhood of Atherton came out on top for the fourth year in a row. The index ranks the wealthiest communities in the US by average household income, and to crack the list, a neighborhood needs an average household income of $220,000.
Why is called Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley is in northern California, in the southern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Silicon Valley name, coined by entrepreneur Ralph Vaerst in the 1970s, originally derived from the region's large number of silicon chip manufacturers.
What city is Silicon Valley in? ›Silicon Valley, industrial region around the southern shores of San Francisco Bay, California, U.S., with its intellectual centre at Palo Alto, home of Stanford University.
Why do people go to Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley is an incredible place to start a new business for several reasons. From a great environment for entrepreneurs and startups to abundant sources for venture capital, talent and networking, Silicon Valley is a great place to start a new business.
How many billionaires are in Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley's tendency to mint billionaires has led to a startling trend: Of the 26 Californians who rank among America's 100 richest people, 19 live in the Bay Area. (The wealthiest person in Southern California is Donald Bren, America's richest real estate baron.)
Why did so many companies start in Silicon Valley? ›
Why Is Silicon Valley Perfect for Startups? Silicon Valley is ideal for startups in a technology-driven world because it has the necessary infrastructure, talented resources, and an ever-growing market for manufacturers. Startups can easily host systems in the area because it has everything they need to stay connected.
Which country has highest salary? ›...
These are the countries with the Highest Average Salaries, 2022.
Rank | Country | Average Monthly Net Salary (US$) |
---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 6142.1 |
2 | Singapore | 4350.79 |
3 | Australia | 4218.89 |
4 | United States | 3721.64 |
- Australia.
- New Zealand.
- Germany.
- Netherlands.
- South Korea.
- Canada.
- Ireland.
- The Czech Republic.
The United States is highest on the list, with Israel and several European countries trailing behind. The top three in our comparison are: the United States, Switzerland, and Israel.
Which country is No 1 in world? ›The overall ranking of Best Countries measure global performance on a variety of metrics. Switzerland is the best country in the world for 2022.
Which country is No 1 in education? ›Top 10 Best Countries for Education | ||
---|---|---|
2020 | 2019 | |
1. | The United States | The United Kingdom |
2. | The United Kingdom | The United States |
3. | Canada | Canada |
Rank | Country | Innovation inputs |
---|---|---|
1 | South Korea | 2.74 |
2 | Japan | 1.75 |
3 | USA | 1.59 |
4 | China | 1.76 |
Highest paying Technology Companies | ||
---|---|---|
Top Tech Companies | Tech company Salary | |
Amazon | $81,900 | $130,400 |
Apple | $91,300 | $145,400 |
Cisco | $83,800 | $134,700 |
The 3 Basic Business Entities
The 3 types of business entities that are most common are the sole proprietorship, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation. Each has their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, depending on what you and your business need.
- WIPRO. Wipro is India's multinational company that provides Information technology, consulting, and business process services. ...
- Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) The largest firm with 4 million talents. ...
- TECH MAHINDRA. ...
- COGNIZANT. ...
- INFOSYS. ...
- HEXAWARE. ...
- CAPGEMINI.
Which Big 4 is easiest to get into? ›
Originally Answered: People say that EY is the easiest to get into among all Big 4 (at the basic level like after graduation in Indian context).
Which is the oldest Big 4? ›Among the Big 4, KPMG is the oldest firm, with its earliest parent company founded in 1818. In 1911, William Barclay Peat & co merged with Marwick Mitchell & co to form Peat Marwick. The largest merger of this firm took place between KMG and Peat Marwick that finally established KPMG.
Is it worth working at Big 4? ›Pros: Exposure - While working with any Big 4 you would get a world class exposure as you would be working with some of the best clients in the world. There client list includes almost all fortune 500 companies. Also, the people you would be working with are the best brains in the industry.
Is Deloitte or EY better? ›Deloitte has a rating of 4.7 stars with 88 reviews. EY has a rating of 4.7 stars with 54 reviews. See side-by-side comparisons of product capabilities, customer experience, pros and cons, and reviewer demographics to find the best fit for your organization.
Which Big 4 has the best work-life balance? ›Though the smallest of the Big 4 firms, KPMG is known to have the best work-life balance amongst its employees.
Is Deloitte or KPMG better? ›...
Overall Rating.
Overall Rating | 3.9 | 3.9 |
---|---|---|
Compensation and benefits | 3.7 | 3.5 |
Job security and advancement | 3.7 | 3.7 |
Management | 3.6 | 3.6 |
Culture | 3.8 | 3.7 |
2. It's Less Dominant. Microsoft is a dominant company but doesn't have as much swat as these other corporations. It's not in FAANG because it's not as intense on the market.
What is FAANG called now? ›The stormy market is here to bid goodbye to FAANG and say hello to Triple-A in 2022. FAANG is not a Chinese word. It is the acronym of Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (now Alphabet).
Why is it called FANG? ›This acronym refers to the stocks of four prominent American technology companies—Meta (META) (formerly Facebook), Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOG). By adding Apple (AAPL) in 2017, "FANG" became "FAANG."
What is the richest company in the world in 2022? ›1. Apple Inc – 2.294 Trillion USD. Apple Inc, a Cupertino-based American tech company is the most valuable company in the world with a record market cap of $ 2.294 Trillion.
What is the biggest company in the world 2022? ›
As of 2022, Apple, Saudi Aramco, and Microsoft hold the top three positions, each with market caps in excess of $2 trillion. Technology and energy companies rank among the most valuable companies in the world today.
What are the 5 largest industries in the world? ›- Global Consumer Electronics Manufacturing. Employment number for 2022: 17,518,424. ...
- Global Commercial Real Estate. ...
- Global Fast Food Restaurants. ...
- Global HR & Recruitment Services. ...
- Global Apparel Manufacturing. ...
- Global Hotels & Resorts. ...
- Global Coal Mining. ...
- Global Tourism.
- Apple Inc. ( AAPL)
- Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT)
- Nvidia Corp. ( NVDA)
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. ( TSM)
- ASML Holding NV (ASML)
- Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO)
- Oracle Corp. ( ORCL)
- Adobe Inc. ( ADBE)
IBM, founded in 1911, is generally known for its transformation from tabulation machines under the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) name before evolving into the tech giant it is today. But the Electric Telegraph Company was the world's first public telegraph company and was founded in 1846.
Which tech company has most employees? ›In 2020, IBM employed 375,300 workers, far more than the other major software companies.
Which country has the most tech companies? ›Aggregate Rank | Country | Average Rank |
---|---|---|
1 | Japan | 2.1 |
2 | United States | 3.2 |
3 | South Korea | 3.1 |
4 | Germany | 5.6 |
Microsoft. Of the Big Five tech companies, Microsoft is the second highest rated workplace (Google being #1). Like working at Google, getting a job at Microsoft is highly prestigious for someone working in the tech industry.
What is the biggest tech company in the US? ›- Amazon. Starting as an online bookstore, Amazon is now the world's largest retailer. ...
- Microsoft. ...
- Apple. ...
- Alphabet (Google) ...
- Oracle. ...
- Tesla. ...
- Cisco. ...
- Meta (Facebook)
Major Silicon Valley tech companies include Adobe, Alphabet, Apple, Cisco, eBay, HP, Intel, LinkedIn, Meta, Nvidia, Paypal, and Zoom. Smaller Silicon Valley tech companies — like Grail, Freedom Financial Network, Coursera, Helix, Tempus, Wing, and Zscaler — may be growing names worth watching.
How many companies are in the Silicon Valley? ›...
Silicon Valley | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 37°22′39″N 122°04′03″W | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
Region | San Francisco Bay Area |
Is Amazon based in Silicon Valley? ›
The simple answer is “Silicon Valley,” a term that now generally means the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland area of California. There are other options: The two largest public cloud providers, Microsoft and Amazon, are based in the state of Washington.
What big companies started Silicon Valley? ›In the 1970s, companies like Apple, Oracle, and Atari were founded in the area, helping Silicon Valley become the center of the computer industry.
What is the main industry in Silicon Valley? ›Electronics and big tech is the largest industry in Silicon Valley. But it is also home to some other types of businesses, including big energy and financial services.
What city is Silicon Valley in? ›Silicon Valley, industrial region around the southern shores of San Francisco Bay, California, U.S., with its intellectual centre at Palo Alto, home of Stanford University.
Who owns the Silicon Valley? ›Part 1: Who Owns Silicon Valley? Stanford University, Apple, Google, Cisco, Intel and several real estate companies are among Silicon Valley's top property owners according to an analysis of Santa Clara County assessor records for 2018.
Why is called Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley is in northern California, in the southern region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Silicon Valley name, coined by entrepreneur Ralph Vaerst in the 1970s, originally derived from the region's large number of silicon chip manufacturers.
Who started Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley grew up in the area between San Jose, California, and San Francisco as a result of Frederick Terman, the legendary dean of Stanford engineering school during the 1940s and 1950s. He created the tradition of Stanford faculty starting their own companies.
Who was the first tech company in Silicon Valley? ›In 1956, Shockley left Bell and founded his own company — Shockley Semiconductor Labs. It was the first company to make transistors out of silicon and not germanium. The company was founded in Mountain View, California — so Shockley could be closer to his sick mother.
Is Google bigger than Microsoft? ›Microsoft is bigger than Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Is Google bigger than Apple? ›However, Google's software has a combined 4.3 billion users, while Apple has 1.65 billion total users. So, Google software has more reach than Apple's combined hardware/software ecosystem does. Additionally, Android has about 75% of the smartphone market worldwide, while IOS has 25%.
What is FAANG called now? ›
The stormy market is here to bid goodbye to FAANG and say hello to Triple-A in 2022. FAANG is not a Chinese word. It is the acronym of Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google (now Alphabet).
Is IT expensive to live in Silicon Valley? ›Silicon Valley is known for its high cost of living.
How many people live in the Silicon Valley? ›Despite the tech industry's resilience in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, the population estimate for the region — which comprises 39 cities in four different Bay Area counties — is now about 3.07 million, compared with about 3.08 million in 2020.
Which country is known as Silicon Valley of India? ›Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka. It is the 3rd most populous city of India and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration in India. Bengaluru is also known as the "Silicon Valley of India" because of its role in promoting the IT sector of India.