First it was Amazon and now it’s Microsoft. In just two months, the Internet giant Google has moved from second to fourth place in the ranking of the world’s largest companies, giving way once again to the computer group Microsoft.
Microsoft is making a comeback under the leadership of its CEO, Satya Nadella, who changed the company’s orientation by focusing on cloud computing. The commitment to Azure and Office 365 software is paying off. Nadella backed away from Windows Phone because of the difficulty of entering a field dominated by Android and iOS. Forecasts point to increases in sales and profits of more than 10% in the coming years.
The company’s current value is $760 billion versus $745 billion for Alphabet (Google’s parent company). Google overtook Microsoft on Wall Street in 2012, and since then, the two companies’ paths have diverged. However, its evolution has taken a turn in recent months. While Microsoft has rallied 13% since January, Alphabet shares remain flat. Still, Apple remains the most valuable company with a value of $920 billion followed by Amazon $782 billion.