Amazon is the world's largest online retailer and global leader in cloud computing through AWS (Amazon Web Services). Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Seattle as an online bookstore, it now operates in logistics, streaming (Prime Video), hardware (Kindle, Echo, Fire TV), healthcare, grocery (Whole Foods) and digital advertising. It employs more than 1.5 million people worldwide.
Apple is one of the world's most valuable companies, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. It designs and manufactures the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods and services such as Apple Music, iCloud, Apple TV+ and the App Store. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, it has sold over two billion active devices and leads innovation in proprietary chips (Apple Silicon) and mixed reality.
Cisco Systems is the world's leading provider of networking equipment and software, with a portfolio spanning routers, switches, security appliances, collaboration tools (Webex) and observability platforms. Founded in 1984 in San Jose, California by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, it is pivoting from hardware sales to a software and subscription revenue model, including its major acquisition of Splunk in 2024.
Microsoft is one of the world's largest technology companies, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. A leader in software with Windows and Office, a cloud giant with Azure (the world's second-largest cloud provider), and owner of LinkedIn, GitHub, Xbox and Activision Blizzard. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, it has been central to the generative AI revolution through its investment in OpenAI.
The Nasdaq Composite Index tracks all common stocks listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, over 3,000 securities. It is heavily weighted towards technology companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet and Amazon. Created in 1971, it is the world's second-largest stock exchange by market capitalisation.
Nvidia is the world leader in graphics chips (GPUs) and AI processors. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, its chips power the training of most generative AI models, high-performance computing, gaming and data centres. Its market capitalisation exceeded three trillion dollars in 2024, making it one of the most valuable companies on Earth.