Microsoft briefly became the world’s most valuable public company in January 2024 after an AI-driven share-price surge.
Microsoft overtook Apple in market capitalization during trading on January 11, 2024. Investors were responding partly to Microsoft’s expanding artificial-intelligence strategy, including its partnership with OpenAI and the integration of AI tools into products such as Azure and Microsoft 365.
The lead changed hands because both companies had enormous valuations and actively traded shares. Apple later reclaimed the top position at various points, showing that “world’s most valuable company” can be a temporary market ranking.
Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It became a dominant personal-computer software company before expanding into cloud computing, enterprise software, gaming, and artificial intelligence.