Amazon becomes second trillion dollar company after Apple
AWS parent company's shares soar and push it over the landmark valuation


Amazon has become the second US company to be valued by Wall Street at $1 trillion, just a month after tech rival Apple.
Company's stocks rose to $2,050 a share on Tuesday, briefly pushing the tech giant above the trillion dollar mark. When it went public in 1997, it offered $18 a share.
Amazon began life in Seattle in 1994 and in that time, CEO Jeff Bezos has become the world's richest man. Initially, It sold books and CDs online but has since grown into a technology giant with e-commerce, entertainment and cloud computing departments, the last of which being AWS, where it makes large revenues.
The company now hosts big name websites such as Netflix and Airbnb and is currently leading the race to a 10 billion contract to provide cloud services to the US Department of Defense.
In July, AWS reportedly raked in $6.1 billion for the online retail giant in its 2018 second quarter financial results. Part of the reason for its high revenues is the ongoing trend of digital transformation running through companies. Its second-quarter results were due to big contracts with Ryanair, Major League Baseball, 21st Century Fox and Epic Games.
AWS is currently the leader in the public cloud, with Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and Google Cloud in second and third place respectively, but the company as a whole is second to another tech giant in the race to $1 trillion.
Only a month ago, it was reported that Apple had become the world's first trillion-dollar company after soaring share prices pushed the phone manufacturer past the landmark valuation.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
The Cupertino company pulled in profits of $11.5 billion over three months after recording record sales that hit $53.3 billion. Apple's shares jumped, pushing the value of the company up from $935 billion towards $1 trillion.
Bobby Hellard is ITPro's Reviews Editor and has worked on CloudPro and ChannelPro since 2018. In his time at ITPro, Bobby has covered stories for all the major technology companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook, and regularly attends industry-leading events such as AWS Re:Invent and Google Cloud Next.
Bobby mainly covers hardware reviews, but you will also recognize him as the face of many of our video reviews of laptops and smartphones.
-
Bigger salaries, more burnout: Is the CISO role in crisis?
In-depth CISOs are more stressed than ever before – but why is this and what can be done?
By Kate O'Flaherty Published
-
Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25
News Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
How to empower employees to accelerate emissions reduction
in depth With ICT accounting for as much as 3% of global carbon emissions, the same as aviation, the industry needs to increase emissions reduction
By Fleur Doidge Published
-
Worldwide IT spending to grow 4.3% in 2023, with no significant AI impact
News Spending patterns have changed as companies take an inward focus
By Rory Bathgate Published
-
Report: Female tech workers disproportionately affected by industry layoffs
News Layoffs continue to strike companies throughout the tech industry, with data showing females in both the UK and US are bearing the brunt of them more so than males
By Ross Kelly Published
-
How can small businesses cope with inflation?
Tutorial With high inflation increasing the cost of doing business, how can small businesses weather the storm?
By Sandra Vogel Published
-
How to deal with inflation while undergoing digital transformation
In-depth How can organizations stave off inflation while attempting to grow by digitally transforming their businesses?
By Sandra Vogel Published
-
How businesses can use technology to fight inflation
TUTORIAL While technology can’t provide all the answers to fight rising inflation, it can help ease the pain on businesses in the long term
By Sandra Vogel Published
-
Embattled WANdisco to cut 30% of workforce amid fraud scandal
News The layoffs follow the shock resignation of the company’s CEO and CFO in early April
By Ross Kelly Published
-
Some Tech Nation programs could continue after Founders Forum acquisition
News The acquisition brings to a close a months-long saga over what the future holds for Tech Nation initiatives
By Ross Kelly Published