On July 4, as Americans celebrate independence, Benzinga is spotlighting the corporations currently shaping the nation’s economy and global influence.

Microsoft Corp MSFT

Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Microsoft started in a garage with a vision to put a computer on every desk and in every home. Their operating systems, especially Windows, revolutionized personal computing, making Microsoft a cornerstone of the tech industry.

Microsoft ranks as the number one company in the world according to a Companies Market Cap of $3.424 trillion, often competing with Apple for the top position as the stock price fluctuates according to market dynamics.

Apple Inc AAPL

In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Computer Inc. in Jobs’ garage. Apple’s journey from building the first personal computer to defining consumer electronics with the iPhone and iPad has made it synonymous with innovation and design excellence. Apple holds the second position globally with a market cap of $3.397 trillion.

NVIDIA Corp NVDA

Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem, Nvidia began with a focus on graphics processing units (GPUs). Their GPUs are now essential for AI, gaming, and autonomous vehicles, driving Nvidia to the forefront of innovation in computing technology.

Nvidia ranks third in the world with a market cap of $3.155 trillion but recently surpassed Apple and Microsoft to be number one; due to stock price volatility, its rank keeps fluctuating.

The Santa Clara, California-based company is expected to sell $12 billion worth of AI chips in China in 2024, according to the Financial Times, citing analysts.

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Google‘s parent company Alphabet Inc GOOG, GOOGL

Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google began as a research project at Stanford University. Their search engine quickly became the most widely used in the world, and Google has since expanded into numerous areas including advertising, cloud computing (Google Cloud), and mobile operating systems (Android). Alphabet is positioned fourth globally with a market cap of $2.305 trillion.

Amazon.com Inc AMZN

Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore from his garage in Seattle. Today, Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer, with a vast ecosystem including cloud computing (AWS), streaming services, and AI development, transforming how we shop and consume media globally. Amazon ranks fifth worldwide with a market cap of $2.056 trillion.

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Kaustubh Bagalkote