Microsoft briefly overtook Apple as the world’s most valuable company in January 2022.
Microsoft moved ahead of Apple by market capitalization during trading on January 3, 2022, although the lead was temporary and rankings shifted again soon afterward. The change reflected movements in both companies’ share prices rather than a formal transfer of ownership or a change in their business structures.
Microsoft’s valuation was supported by its cloud-computing business, enterprise software, Windows, Office subscriptions, gaming operations, and advertising. Its Azure cloud platform became an especially important growth engine as organizations moved more computing workloads online.
Apple and Microsoft have repeatedly exchanged the top position because both have enormous valuations and widely traded shares. A daily ranking may differ depending on whether it uses intraday prices or closing prices. This question concerns the brief intraday lead, not a permanent ranking.