Top 10 richest companies of all time

Although it isn't the largest auto maker in the world, Tesla, achieved the highest peak market capitalization of all auto makers with a peak value of $1.239 trillion. With a market capitalization of over $750 billion as of October 7, Tesla, is still by the most valuable car company in the world.

As the electric vehicle leader, investors expect substantial earnings growth in Tesla's future. Given its CEO in Elon Musk, many expect Tesla, to be among the leaders in autonomous driving. ARK Investment Management was one of the top holders of Tesla at the end of the second quarter.

Amazon has been one of the best growth stocks over the last twenty years. As a result of its growth, Amazon has achieved the number one position in both e-commerce and the cloud, both of which are huge markets. With its positions, Amazon. achieved a peak market capitalization of $1.888 trillion. That ranks the company as #9 on the list of 10 Most Valuable Companies In History.

Although its market cap is around $1.25 trillion as of October 7, the stock could still have upside if it continues its earnings growth.

Peak Market Capitalization: $2.001 trillion

Alphabet has also been one of the best growth stocks since its IPO in 2004. Thanks to its leading market share in search and also its smart acquisition of YouTube, Alphabet  has become one of the most profitable companies in the world. As one of the world's leading tech giants, Alphabet  also achieved a peak market cap of $2 trillion.

Saudi Aramco is the world's biggest oil company and also the leading company in Saudi Arabia. Given its huge oil reserves and substantial profits, Saudi Aramco is also one of the most valuable companies in history with a peak market capitalization of over $2.4 trillion. Given the higher oil prices, Saudi Aramco reported that is net income rose 90% to $48.4 billion in Q2 2022.

Microsoft Corporation has also been one of the best growth stocks in history since its founding in 1975. As a result, Microsoft Corporation achieved a peak market capitalization of $2.576 trillion, which ranks it #6 on our list of 15 Most Valuable Companies In History. Although it's valued under $2 trillion now due to the broader market decline, Microsoft Corporation  could have upside if it continues to grow its earnings.

Apple is #5 on the list of 10 Most Valuable Companies In History and the only company that’s around today. Although it doesn’t have the same monopoly on operating systems as Microsoft or the same market share as Alphabet in mobile operating systems, Apple is the most profitable given its mastery of design and branding. Given its huge and in many cases affluent customer base, Apple is a money machine that achieved a peak market capitalization of almost $3 trillion.

Standard Oil dominated the oil and gas industry in the United States in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s thanks to M&A and economies of scale. Due to its dominance, Standard Oil also made John Rockefeller the world’s first billionaire. Founded in 1863, the company became so big that eventually the government split it up with the Sherman Antitrust Act. Given its dominance of the market, Standard Oil would have likely been worth multiple trillions at its peak in today’s prices.

South Sea Company was a British joint stock company founded in 1711 by an Act of Parliament. The company was designed to consolidate and control Britain’s national debt and also help Britain increase its trade in the Americas. In 1713, South Sea Company was granted a trading monopoly in the Americas.

Mississippi Company was a company that developed the U.S. french territories around the Mississippi River valley. It also had a monopoly on the African slave trade and French tobacco trade in the valley. Mississippi Company also experienced a speculative bubble that accounted for much of its peak value before the eventual bubble burst.

Founded in 1602, the Dutch East India Company was the world’s first publicly traded company. Having begun as a space trader, the company eventually had the largest shipping fleet and also benefited from the tulip bubble. At its peak the company had a present day value of over $8 trillion, which makes Dutch East India Company #1 on the list of 10 Most Valuable Companies In History.