In today’s world of constant change, companies must be agile to remain relevant. Even Big Tech giants can’t become too comfortable–to stay competitive, major companies like Google and Amazon continue to innovate and change.
The graphic series from Truman Du shows the income reports of 5 of the globe’s most powerful companies: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Alphabet. It also demonstrates how their financials have changed from the time of the first disclosures to the public.
Editor’s note: Click on any image to view a larger version with a larger resolution. Additionally, since these companies are, in many instances, 10,000 times larger than the size they were at the IPO date, The two financial statements are intended for something other than a direct comparison in size.
Visual Income Statements: From IPO to Today
Let’s begin with Apple, the company that was the first to go public and also the largest in the group:
Table of Contents
Apple
In 1998, Apple began to be known under the brand name “Apple Computer” because it was only selling computers and hardware for computers at the time. In the following decade, the company grew its offerings and began offering various consumer electronics such as mobile phones, portable music players, and tablets.
Apple’s consumer technology was so popular in 2007, Apple decided to eliminate “Computer” from its name. Today, the company earns money through services such as Apple TV and Apple Pay.
Although computers remain an essential part of its business, the iPhone is now the main revenue generator for the firm.
The year 2021 was the one in which Apple produced $94.7 billion in profits, with a 26% profit margin. Apple is among the few Big Tech companies that have survived the general decline in valuations. With an estimated market capitalization of $2 trillion, The company is valued roughly equal to that of Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta.
Microsoft
Microsoft, among the oldest firms on this list, was first listed in 1985. In the past, the company was only selling microprocessors and software. This is why it was named Micro-Soft.
While Microsoft’s flagship operating system (Windows) remains one of its main revenue generators, its products are now more varied.
The company’s revenue streams are divided fairly evenly among the cloud services (Azure) and the productivity software (Office), and individual computers (Xbox as well as Windows OS).
Amazon
When Amazon became public at the end of 1997, the retailer sold only books.
But in the year 1998, Amazon started rapidly expanding its offerings. The company soon offered everything, from CDs to toys to electronic devices and tools.
Now and the ecommerce sector of Amazon has become one aspect of the overall business.
Amazon can also be a cloud-services company (AWS) and grocery chain (with their grocery products Amazon Fresh and the purchase of Whole Foods) and even an online video streaming service (Prime Video). AWS stands out as a significant component of Amazon’s overall business model, generating the majority of the operating profits.
Alphabet
When Google became public in 2003, it was just a basic search engine that made $1.4 billion in advertising revenue through its cloud network and website.
The company (now changed its name to Alphabet) is now known as the Internet’s most trusted source and is the source of most of the web’s search traffic. Due to this, it earns billions of dollars in advertising revenue annually.
The company also has control of YouTube and has expanded into other sectors, such as consumer technology (Fitbit) and the premium stream (YouTube Premium and TV).
Tesla
Tesla’s IPO was held in 2008, making it the tiniest business on our list. It’s also the newest one to join the fray; the company’s income streams haven’t been as drastic as those of the other companies.
Although electric vehicles are Tesla’s primary revenue source, Tesla has explored other industries over the past ten years. For example, in 2021, around $2.8 billion of its $53.8 billion in revenues came from storage and energy generation.
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