Microsoft is a technology giant that dominates the technology industry. However, the company has a hefty list of competitors in different markets, in both consumer and business. Since Microsoft was founded in 1975 it has evolved to become one of the world’s largest companies. Microsoft is currently worth $338 billion, and employs over 121,000 people worldwide. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, Microsoft currently holds the largest market share in Operating Systems. Let’s dig a little deeper into Microsoft’s top competitors and what makes them worthy to be called competitors to begin with.
1. Apple
- Founded: April 1st, 1976
- Headquarters: Cupertino, California USA
Need to Know
Apple is one of Microsoft’s top competitors. Apple provides consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. Apple is worth $736 billion and employs over 114,000 people. In terms of market share, Apple ranks second in Operating Systems with a market share of 14.3 percent.
Interesting Facts
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 and is now the second biggest company in the world and is worth more than Philips, Sony, and Dell combined. Steve Jobs had been previously kicked out of Apple in 1985, but was brought back in 1997 and turned the company around. Jobs sadly passed away in 2011, but his legacy continues to make Apple one of the most successful technology companies in the world.
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2. Google
- Founded: 1998
- Headquarters: Mountain View California, USA
Need to Know
Google is Microsoft’s biggest competitor in the technology industry. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Google is a multinational technology company that provides a variety of services, including online advertising technologies, search engine and software development. Google is worth $526 billion and employs over 72,000 people. Google enjoys the largest market share in Search Engines with a market share of 81 percent.
Interesting Facts
Google is one of the most successful technology companies around. Google’s growth has been rapid, with revenue growing over 20 percent each year. Despite being founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, Google has grown exponentially over the past 17 years. The name ‘Google’ is derived from a play on the word “googol” which means 1 followed by 100 zeros.
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3. Sony
- Founded: January, 1946
- Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Need to Know
Sony is a multinational conglomerate that provides a variety of electronics, gaming, entertainment and financial services. Sony is worth $68 billion and employs over 164,000 people. Sony has a market share of 28.3 percent in Consumer Electronics and has the largest market share in TV and video equipment.
Interesting Facts
Sony is one of the most successful consumer electronics industries in the world. Sony has a long history, particularly with cameras. The first camera was introduced in 1950 and was called the Kwanon. In 1960, Sony released the first transistor radio. Then in 1961, Sony launched a popular range of transistor radios in the United States, which became known as the “Walkman.” Sony is also the co-founder of the famous Blu-Ray disk format.
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4. IBM
- Founded: June, 1911
- Headquarters: Armonk New York, USA
Need to Know
IBM is a multinational technology and consulting corporation that provides hardware, software, and service solutions. IBM is worth $136 billion and employs 421,000 people worldwide. IBM ranks second in the world for market share in the IT services industry with a market share of 17 percent and has the largest market share in global business services.
Interesting Facts
IBM has a long and successful history in the technology industry. Founded back in 1911 IBM is one of the oldest technology companies in the world. IBM is also the largest employer of mathematicians in the world and has made significant contributions to computing, including the development of the first commercially successful computer. In 2009, IBM ranked as the world’s largest producer of green energy.
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5. Samsung
- Founded: March, 1938
- Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea
Need to Know
Samsung is a multinational conglomerate that provides electronic devices, clothing and semiconductor manufacturing. Samsung is worth $173 billion and employs 326,000 people. Samsung has a market share of 31.3 percent in the smartphone market and 20.9 percent in the television market.
Interesting Facts
Samsung is one of the most successful technology companies around. Despite being founded in 1938, Samsung did not start to expand its business until 1969 when it started to produce electronic appliances such as televisions and refrigerators. In the 1990s, Samsung continued to expand and expanded its business into construction, shipbuilding and automotive. In 2012, Samsung Electronics was the world’s most profitable company in the electronics industry.
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6. Amazon Web Services
- Founded: August, 2006
- Headquarters: Cupertino California, USA
Need to Know
Amazon Web Services (AWS), is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, focusing on providing cloud computing platforms for individuals, companies and governments. AWS has grown rapidly over the past few years and is one of the most successful cloud computing businesses in the world. AWS provides services to millions of customers in 190 countries.
Interesting Facts
AWS was first launched in 2006 as a small cloud computing platform for Amazon.com. However, AWS soon grew rapidly and became one of the most successful cloud computing businesses in the world. AWS is now used by millions of customers in 190 countries and provides a range of services, from compute power to storage and databases. AWS is also the largest provider of cloud-based machine learning in the world.
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7. Alibaba Cloud
- Founded: 2009
- Headquarters: Redmond Washington, USA
Need to Know
Alibaba Cloud is a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, focusing on providing cloud computing services to businesses and governments. Alibaba Cloud has grown rapidly in recent years and is now the largest cloud computing company in China. Alibaba Cloud has over 1 million customers in over 190 countries.
Interesting Facts
Alibaba Cloud is the largest cloud computing company in China and is quickly expanding globally. Alibaba Cloud was first launched in 2009 and has since grown to have more than 1 million customers who reside in over 190 different countries. Alibaba Cloud provides services such as compute power, storage and databases. And in 2017, Alibaba Group launched the AI Hub which provides artificial intelligence services to Alibaba Cloud customers.
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8. Cisco
- Founded: December, 1984
- Headquarters: San Jose California, USA
Need to Know
Cisco is a multinational technology conglomerate providing network equipment and information technology services. Cisco has over 70,000 employees and had revenues of nearly $48 billion in 2017 while maintaining a market share of 40 percent in the networking equipment market. Cisco has grown rapidly over the past few years, with a compound annual growth rate of 20.5 percent between the years of 2012 and 2017.
Interesting Facts
Cisco is one of the largest technology companies in the world and provides a range of products and services, including network equipment and information technology services. Cisco is also one of the most profitable technology companies in the world and birthed the name Cisco after co-founders, Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner met at Stanford.
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Conclusion
IBM, Amazon Web Services, Alibaba Cloud, Apple, Cisco, Google and Samsung are eight of the largest competitors in the global technology industry. In recent years, many technology companies have been focusing on cloud computing. This is because more companies are using technology to work efficiently and cloud computing offers a cost-effective solution.
For example, IBM has invested more than $3 billion into their cloud infrastructure and Amazon Web Services has received $8.2 billion in revenue from service fees since the beginning of 2015. Many technology companies are now focused on providing artificial intelligence, which helps to analyse large amounts of data.
This has resulted in the creation of new technology companies such as Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The business models of many technology companies are also changing because they now offer a variety of services instead of just one. For example, Microsoft launched a cloud-based software as a service called Microsoft 365 that offers several Microsoft services such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. With all these services and products it leaves these tech giants with a lot of competition and a lot of options for consumers.