Apple became the first company to reach a US$1 trillion market capitalization in 2018.
Apple crossed that milestone on August 2, 2018, when its share price and outstanding shares produced a market value of approximately one trillion US dollars. The achievement reflected decades of growth in personal computers, music players, smartphones, tablets, and digital services.
The milestone is often confused with Apple’s later valuations. Apple became the first publicly traded US company to reach US$2 trillion in 2020 and US$3 trillion in 2022. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying a company’s share price by its total number of outstanding shares, so it can change every trading day.
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Its iPhone, introduced in 2007, became the company’s most influential product and helped transform Apple into one of the world’s most valuable businesses.