The Rivalry Continues: 20 Years of Apple vs Microsoft

What We’re Showing:

The market capitalization of Apple and Microsoft over the past 20 years, along with key events and products that moved the needle on the companies’ value.

Additional Context:

– Since 2009, Apple has been slightly in the lead becoming the first company to hit $1T, $2T, and even $3T valuation milestones, though Microsoft was never too far behind

– In the early ‘10s, Microsoft struggled as PC sales and profit margins were shrinking

– Ebbing iPhone demand and the Apple Watch ban in the U.S.–coupled with enthusiasm over AI–have helped the Microsoft pull ahead into top spot

– Under the leadership of Satya Nadella, Microsoft has added many irons to the fire, including gaming, social media, and cloud computing business units

– Apple will still be a company to watch this year as AI initiatives roll out and the Vision Pro headset goes to market