Apple is the world's highest-market-cap company associated with the stock ticker AAPL.
Apple trades on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbol AAPL. The ticker comes from the company's name and has remained in use since Apple became publicly traded in 1980. Its market value has been driven by the iPhone, services such as the App Store, and products including the Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch.
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976. A common mix-up is confusing Apple's ticker with APPL, which is not Apple's standard Nasdaq symbol. Market capitalization changes daily with the share price, while the ticker identifies the company rather than measuring its value.