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Once upon a time, Amazon.
AMZN 2.16%
com Inc. only sold books, Apple Inc.
AAPL 0.70%
computers sold and Google GOOG 3.34%
was just a search engine. Those days are long gone, and each of these companies, along with Microsoft Corp.
MSFT 2.79%
and Facebook Inc.
FB 1.40%
– has become a tech giant.
Big Tech critics say industry giants wield too much power over the lives of internet users. Companies often claim in response that they face enormous competition, often from each other, and that they need to keep innovating to stay relevant.
Reality, as these charts show, is a collaborative and competitive interplay that helps shape the extent and nature of Big Tech’s influence. And that interaction is changing, as companies increasingly encroach on each other to build and protect their dynasties.
Tech giants have both shielded themselves from competitive threats and opened up new battle fronts by using their size and resources to acquire smaller companies and talent to expand their product and service lines.
While this growth has helped them become less dependent on their partners, the changing landscape has created bitter rivalries. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook criticized each other in statements on issues ranging from data privacy to app market fees. Executives from Google and Microsoft recently discussed their practices for hosting news content and paying publishers.
The ties between the five companies are not completely frayed: they continue to work together on everything from software development to industry advocacy. Beyond marketing their applications and products on each other’s platforms, companies, in some cases, have integrated their activities in a way that elicits regulatory scrutiny.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Which hardware, software or service battles do you think will be the most interesting to watch among Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft over the next year and why? Join the conversation below.
Apple and Google have one of Silicon Valley’s most famous rivalries, but behind the scenes they maintain a deal worth $ 8 billion to $ 12 billion a year, according to a US Department of Justice lawsuit. This is how they came to depend on each other. Photo illustration: Jaden Urbi
Write to Bowdeya Tweh to [email protected]
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