Alphabet Surpasses Apple to Become Second-Largest Public Company Globally

Saturday 10 January 2026 11:23

Alphabet Inc., owner of the search engine Google, has overtaken Apple Inc. to become the second-largest publicly listed company in the world by market capitalization, driven by strong stock performance and growing momentum from its investments in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Alphabet’s market value surged to approximately $3.89 trillion following a 2.4% increase in its share price, while Apple’s market value fell to around $3.85 trillion after a series of consecutive declines, resulting in nearly $200 billion in lost market value.

The gap between the two tech giants widened in the following trading session, as Alphabet continued to gain while Apple’s shares opened lower, marking the first time since 2019 that Alphabet reclaimed the global #2 spot.

Meanwhile, Nvidia maintains its position as the world’s most valuable company, with a market cap of roughly $4.6 trillion, benefiting from sustained demand for its advanced AI chips.

Alphabet’s shares recorded gains exceeding 65% in 2025, ranking among the best-performing tech stocks, as investor confidence grows in the company’s competitive position and its ability to translate AI investments into sustainable revenue growth.