Microsoft briefly became the world’s most valuable company by market capitalization in January 2022.
Microsoft overtook Apple in market value during January 2022 as technology stocks moved sharply and investors reassessed the two companies’ prospects. The ranking was temporary because market capitalization changes with share prices, and Apple soon regained the top position.
Microsoft’s valuation was supported by its cloud-computing business Azure, enterprise software, Windows, Office, gaming, and investment in artificial intelligence. Its transformation from a mainly personal-computer software company into a broad cloud and services provider changed how investors assessed its growth.
This episode is distinct from Apple’s earlier milestone of becoming the first company to reach $1 trillion or $2 trillion. “Most valuable” in this context means highest public-equity market capitalization, not largest revenue, greatest assets, or highest annual profit.