Amazon Takes the Top Spot—The Queen of the Stock Market Crown
On Monday’s trading session, Amazon finally dipped its flag into the coveted spot of the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. Thanks to a 3.4% surge, the e‑commerce leviathan edged past Microsoft and its tech siblings, pulling its market cap to a staggering US$796.8 billion (S$1,080 billion). That’s a US$13.2 billion lead over Microsoft.
From Books to Bottle‑Openers: Amazon’s Wild Ride
Led by the ever‑visionary CEO Jeff Bezos, Amazon has turned its modest beginnings as an online bookseller into a sprawling empire that covers almost every consumer niche imaginable. Revenues bounced from US$74.5 billion in 2013 to US$177.9 billion last year, and analysts predict a kick‑ass target of US$232.3 billion in 2018.
The Funnel of Growth (and its Slight Descent)
- Although Amazon’s market cap has dipped from its own record high of US$1 trillion in September, it hasn’t taken a hard hit like some of its rivals.
- Apple, once the dead‑center of the market‑cap universe, now sits at US$702 billion, trailing Amazon, Microsoft, and Google’s parent Alphabet (US$745.2 billion).
A Quick Flashback
Amazon’s humble origins were in a Seattle garage—originally called Cadabra. Its first book launch in mid‑1995 was Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter. By year’s end, the company was selling books nationwide, and it went public in early 1997.
Investing in the Future
Over the past decade, Amazon put growth before profit—spinning up factories, warehouses, distribution networks, and data centres. One of its groundbreaking moves was the US$13.7 billion Whole Foods deal in 2017, giving it a huge retail brick‑and‑mortar footprint.
It’s also become a heavyweight in entertainment, snagging acting nods for its original series at the Golden Globe Awards. As Amazon continues to expand its reach, the world can anticipate even more surprises—think drones, reusable rockets, or maybe a coffee‑drinking robot!
