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Apple reaches market value of $700 billion

I'll be 48 this year . . . I'm supposed to start hating everything right about now.
 
How dare they be successful! :angryfist: Of course, you, perhaps with some associates, could start your own business and persuade consumers to pay for your goods and services. Though I suppose spending most of the day on internet forums sneering at the achievements of others is an easier path to take.
 
Apparently having a rage-gasm is even easier than actually answering the simple question in the OP.

I'll put you down as a "yes".
 
1. America’s largest company by market capitalization is Apple with a current valuation of $693 billion. That market cap of one US company is more than the market capitalization of the entire stock markets of Saudi Arabia ($483 billion) and Mexico ($480 billion). Although not shown here, Apple’s market cap is also greater than the entire stock markets of Thailand ($430 billion), Indonesia ($422 billion) and Russia ($386 billion).

2. The market capitalization of America’s two largest companies, Apple and ExxonMobil, at more than $1 trillion, is greater than the entire stock markets of Spain ($993 billion), South Africa ($934 billion) and Taiwan ($851 billion).

3. The market capitalization of America’s three largest companies (Apple, ExxonMobil and Google) at more than $1.4 trillion is greater than the entire stock market of Australia and is worth almost as much as all of the stocks traded on the Swiss stock exchange (nearly $1.5 trillion).

4. As a separate country, the market capitalization of America’s 10 largest companies at $3.475 trillion would be the fourth largest stock market in the world, ahead of Euronext (Netherlands, Belgium, UK, France and Portugal), Hong Kong and Canada, and just behind China.

5. As a separate country, the market capitalization of America’s 20 largest companies at $5.4 trillion would be the second largest stock market in the world, ahead of No. 3 Japan ($4.4 trillion) and behind only the valuation of the entire US stock market (NYSE and NASDAQ).

http://www.aei.org/publication/blog/carpe-diem/
 

Too big for what? Are you asking can corporations serve too many customers?

I'm asking if corporations can get too big.

When a company's market value is bigger than the GDP of Switzerland I think you start opening yourself up to some potential problems. With that kind of wealth a company could conceivably challenge nations.

Do we really want unelected people having that much power at their disposal?
 
I agree Apple isn't a monopoly. But even if they aren't a monopoly can they just get too big and powerful because of the vast amount of wealth they control?
 
This value is the value of Apple's stock. It isn't about the amount of money that would be needed to build a company like Apple from scratch.

Stock is essentially adult trading cards, an adult version of Pokemon cards.

Stock has a legitimate business purpose: selling stock is a way of raising money. Company part-ownership and dividends are ways of making stock worth buying. But stock trading then takes on a life of its own, thus my comparison to Pokemon cards.

So I think that this says more about the stock market than about Apple itself.
 
Cisco Systems was worth 746 billion adjusted for inflation in 2000. Its worth 135 now. Its best to see how long Apple maintains this valuation before beginning to answer this question.
 
This value is the value of Apple's stock. It isn't about the amount of money that would be needed to build a company like Apple from scratch.
Well, in principle aren't those the same?

If I had $700 billion in my pocket, I could buy Apple. If I could build another apple from scratch for mere $600 billion, I might as well do that, so the sellers of Apple stock would have to drop their price. Of course it's unlikely anyone has that sort of money lying around, but you can make the same calculation with 50% of the stock, or 1%, or even a single stock.
 
Cisco Systems was worth 746 billion adjusted for inflation in 2000. Its worth 135 now. Its best to see how long Apple maintains this valuation before beginning to answer this question.
Probably about the time it's no longer cool (Even though there is a metric ton of BS behind the brand, I'm typing this on OS X).
 
I agree Apple isn't a monopoly. But even if they aren't a monopoly can they just get too big and powerful because of the vast amount of wealth they control?
Apple have a monopoly on hipsters :)
As for amount of cash they have/control then it's due to pretty much single product - iPhone.
Sooner or latter it will end.
 
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