Apple became the first U.S. publicly traded company valued at $1 trillion in 2018.
The milestone occurred on August 2, 2018, when Apple’s share price rose enough for its market capitalization to reach approximately $1 trillion during trading. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying a company’s share price by its total number of outstanding shares.
Apple’s rise to that valuation followed decades of growth from its Macintosh and iPhone businesses, alongside expanding services such as the App Store and iCloud. The iPhone, introduced in 2007, was especially important in transforming Apple’s financial scale.
A common mix-up is calling Apple the first company in the world to reach $1 trillion. PetroChina briefly reached that valuation during its 2007 debut, although its market value quickly fell. Apple’s 2018 milestone specifically concerned a U.S. publicly traded company and was widely recognized as a major market-cap landmark.